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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27600821">Underneath the stars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyrus_ralvez/pseuds/Tyrus_ralvez'>Tyrus_ralvez</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bisexual Luke, Bisexual Spencer Reid, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, Drunk Luke Alvez, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Flirting, Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, Multi, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, OTP Feels, PTSS, Papa Rossi, Pining, Post-Prison Spencer Reid, Pre-Relationship, Ralvez - Freeform, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, Silent pining, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Tara and Spencer are BFFs, kind of, taking care of each other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:29:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,352</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27600821</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyrus_ralvez/pseuds/Tyrus_ralvez</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It all started with a "date" to the movies.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss, Luke Alvez/Spencer Reid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>94</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>105</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Vanilla and Cinnamon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was an unusually snowy January night. The team had just finished up with a case that they'd been working on for three days. They were all so thankful to finally be going home.</p><p>Spencer had been wanting to check out a new movie theatre that opened up a few blocks from there. "They're going to screen some old movies at 8," he told Prentiss. "Do you wanna go?"</p><p>"Oh I wish I could, Spence, but I have a date."</p><p>Intrigued, he asked, "With who?"</p><p>She smiled. "Not telling you, genius."</p><p>"Okay, I'll ask Garcia to dig up some information then." Garcia was a force not to be messed with.</p><p>"You better not or I will make your life miserable." She joked.</p><p>Spencer just smiled, and as JJ came through the glass doors, he made his way to her. "JJ? You wanna go to the movies?"</p><p>"Sorry Spence, I can't. I made plans with the kids. Maybe next time?"</p><p>He frowned but before he could say anything, Luke's deep voice startled him. "I can go with you, Spence."</p><p>"Really? " Spencer beamed, he didn't want to go alone.</p><p>"Yes. I would love to!" Luke grinned, this was a fantastic way to spend time with the genius.</p><p>"Thank you! I have been wanting to go for ages!"</p><p>JJ and Emily shot each other a knowing look. They both knew what was going on with the pair in a trance.</p><p>"You guys coming or not?" Emily asked as the doors to the elevator finally opened.</p><p>The duo stepped in and as they walked outside, they said their goodbyes to each other. Luke and Spencer walked to their cars and drove to the movie theatre as they talked through the phone.</p><p>"What are we watching?" Luke inquired.</p><p>"A 1970's horror classic, "The Exorcist'" He said, "I don't know if you've watched it though. I should've asked before paying for the tickets. I'm sorry."</p><p>"No, Spence, It's all good! I haven't seen it but my sister did when she was younger- she's been traumatized by it ever since."</p><p>"If you don't want to watch it, I could pick another movie that's not horror."</p><p>"No, I'm actually kind of excited to see it. I'll be fine."</p><p>As they entered the movie theatre, Luke managed to convince Spencer to let him pay for everything- it was not easy. They sat in the back.</p><p>The movie started slow and boring- so boring that Luke had to force himself to stay awake, for Spencer's sake. Spencer took notice of this and tried to make it more fun for him by throwing popcorn at him and telling him to catch it in his mouth. He only caught one out of all of them.</p><p>As they giggled, a woman right next to them turned and told them that they were a really cute couple. Spencer's skin quickly turned a bright red, Luke laughed.</p><p>"We're not a couple." Luke politely told a woman as he saw Spencer's face. Would it really be bad if they were?</p><p>"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-" the woman was cut off when a young couple in front of them turned around and shushed them.</p><p>Spencer kept his eyes on the movie, visibly flustered and Luke made a mental not not to bring it up. Spencer's not good with attention.</p><p>There were a few jump scares along the way which Spencer had memorized since he watched the movie when he was a teenager. He could see Luke covering his eyes when something scary was about to happen. He wanted to reach out and calm him down but he knew he couldn't so he just sat there, eyes glued to the screen.</p><p>"You didn't like the movie did you?" Spencer asked as they got out of the movie theatre.</p><p>"I'm not really into horror movies, but I had a great time hanging out with you!"</p><p>"Let me make this up to you. I'll pay this time and you get to pick the movie." The younger man offered.</p><p>Not wanting the night to end, Luke suggested that they head to his apartment. "We can watch a movie there and you can pay for the food if you insist. I want you to meet someone."</p><p>Spencer's brows furrowed in confusion. Luke found it adorable. "Who?"</p><p>"Roxy."</p><p>"Your dog, Roxy?" Luke nodded and Spencer said, "I should warn you now- dogs don't like me."</p><p>Luke made a face in disbelief, "Everybody likes you, it would be impossible not to!"</p><p>It was now Spencer's turn to be in disbelief, "I find that hard to believe."</p><p>"What's there to not like about you, doc? I mean, first of all, you're a genius, you're kind, you're selfless, I could go on and on. You're pretty amazing."</p><p>There were many other things that Luke wanted to say to him, but that would be giving himself away. Spencer wouldn't be able to reciprocate it.</p><p>Spencer blushed at the compliments as he wasn't used to receiving them.</p><p>As they drove to Luke's apartment and took the elevator to get to his place, they were greeted by a very excited Roxy, who emerged from her bed as they arrived. She was stopped by her owner with commands, "Stop. Sit. Paw. Now roll over.</p><p>She obeyed every command, which earned her a "good girl" and a belly rub from both of them.</p><p>"She's so cute." Spencer smiled.</p><p>'So are you.' Thought Luke, but he couldn't say that, so instead, he said, "You should see her when she's playing with her toys. She's the cutest, aren't you Roxy?"</p><p>Spencer smiled but then his bookshelf caught his attention. He went toward it, Roxy frowning as Spencer stopped rubbing her belly, and ran his fingers along the books on his shelf. He stopped at "Prey" by Michael Crichton. He picked up the book and said, "I recommended this to you last week."</p><p>"I know. I bought it right after you recommended it. It's an interesting book."</p><p>"Well, I'm glad you listened to my recommendation. I always bore the others with my book talks and don't even get me started with my ramblings."</p><p>Luke frowned at the idea that he'd been shut off before. The older man admired how much Spencer knew and how he talks about it with such a passion.</p><p>"I love your rambling sessions. They're informative. I've learned so much from you. I honestly can't see how they would ever be bored by you."</p><p>This made him blush even more. He averted his gaze back to roxy. "Thank you, Luke."</p><p>He nodded in response. "Do you want to stay for dinner? I can order something for us. We can watch Star Wars if you'd like."</p><p>"Yeah, that'd be great."</p><p>"Awesome, what would you like to eat?"</p><p>Spencer thought for a moment and said, "I haven't had sushi in forever."</p><p>"Sushi it is then," Luke said, grabbing his phone and dialing the number while Reid went over to the couch and picked up the remote to watch Star Wars.</p><p>They sat and watched TV until their food arrived.</p><p>When Luke saw Spencer grab a fork instead of grabbing the chopsticks, he snorted. "What? The genius has finally hit something that he doesn't know?"</p><p>"Using chopsticks is like using a pair of number two pencils!" Spencer retorted.</p><p>He chuckled. "Here. I can teach you."</p><p>Spencer held up the chopsticks and Luke went over to him to teach him. The younger man blushed under Luke's touch, silently pleading for him to stay like that but the moment quickly ended as Roxy started scratching at the door.</p><p>"I've got to take her out to do her business. You keep practicing, I'll go with her." He put her on a leash and went outside.</p><p>Spencer frowned at the door, wanting to feel his touch again. Normally, that kind of thing made him uncomfortable but with Luke...well Luke was an exception.</p><p>As they got back, Spencer realized how late it was and when they finished eating, he turned to Luke, "It's late and I don't want to bother you anymore-"</p><p>"You're not bothering me, Spence. I had a great time tonight. Maybe we could do this again?"</p><p>Spencer nodded. "Of course."</p><p>"Can I hug you?" Luke asked him.</p><p>Spencer nodded in response and as Luke embraced him, Reid squeezed him tightly, not wanting to let go. Spencer smelled of vanilla with a hint of cinnamon and Luke didn't want to let go either but they couldn't stay like this forever.</p><p>"Thank you for joining me to the movie theatre. It meant a lot." The young doctor said as they stepped away from the embrace.</p><p>"No problem Spence. I had fun hanging out."</p><p>The older man walked him out and as he watched him leave, he already missed him. The rest of the night, Luke would be holding on to the familiar smell of vanilla and cinnamon.</p><p> </p><p>"The most intoxicating smell is the one of the person you love." -Uknown</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had another dream of MGG where I met him and asked him for selfies of us and he took them on his phone because I didn't have one. Then I asked him if he shipped Ralvez and he said yes and that they were cool and then I asked him what he thought about Bisexual Spencer Reid but I can't remember what he said.</p><p>Anyway, this is the first chapter to this fanfic and I'm so excited to write some more to this! I'm also terrible at writing summaries, so I apologise if it sucks.</p><p>Also, it's my birthday and now I'm 16!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Nightmares.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When Spencer has nightmares, Luke comforts him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It'd been two weeks since their date. Well, Spencer would love to see it as a date but he knew where he stood in Luke's affection level. They were friends and nothing more. </p><p>Friends. </p><p>The word stung. He knew he could never be anything more than a friend to him. He was pretty sure he was straight but he couldn't assume. After all, everyone assumed Spencer was straight even though he's Bisexual. Maybe there was a possibility that Luke was into guys but he kept telling himself not to get his hopes up.</p><p>They'd been on the jet for almost an hour and as soon as they landed in Las Vegas for their case, they went to the police office to get some more information over it.</p><p>They had already worked two cases up to that point with no sleep so they headed to the nearest hotel and made reservations. Nobody wanted to room with Spencer as he often snored, so Luke offered to share a room with him.  </p><p>As Luke got out of the shower with his pajamas which consisted of a gray shirt and a random pair of star wars pants, he looked at Spencer who was holding a piece of paper and had a wide smile on his face.</p><p>Luke smiled at the man in front of him. "Well you're happy."</p><p>Spencer looked up at him and said, "Since we're here, I might get the chance to visit my mom after the case. It's been too long since I've seen her. She says that she misses me and that next time I'm here for a case she wants to see me."</p><p>"I'm glad Spence."</p><p>It was nighttime now and after the completed their nightly rituals, they went to bed.</p><p> </p><p>He was back in jail in his usual cell except this time, it was wide open. He quietly went through the doors and as he turned to see if there was anyone there, he saw some inmates kicking someone. He went to see if he could help and called out to them, "Hey, stop it!" He tried to make them stop, trying to push them out of the way when an inmate who was in on the fight walked towards him. As Spencer stumbled back, he ran into someone else and when he turned around, he saw that it was a police officer who had a knife in his hand. Before he could do anything, the  inmate got a hold of him and the officer started stabbing him on the stomach again and again as Spencer shouted, "Stop! No! Stop!" but they kept on stabbing Spencer on the stomach, ignoring his pleas.</p><p>"Wake up. Reid, wake up." The police officer said as he kept stabbing at his stomach, which confused Spencer. "Spence, it's just a dream. Wake up!"</p><p>He finally woke up, panting like a dog, tears streaming down his face, and sweat dripping down his forehead, damping his hair.</p><p>Luke was in front of him, trying to calm him down. "You're ok. You're here with me in the hotel room. It was just a dream. Do you want some water?"</p><p>"No, please don't leave." he said, tears stinging his eyes. "Just...just stay, please." </p><p>"Ok, I can do that. Do you want to talk about it?"</p><p>He only shook his head.</p><p>"Ok, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Luke said, sitting in front of Reid.</p><p>"Thank you." he said, still catching his breath. "I'm sorry that I woke you up."</p><p>"Hey, none of that, ok? Don't apologize. It's not your fault." he hesitated before saying the next part. "I used to have nightmares every day after I quit being an army ranger. They were so bad that sometimes I didn't even want to go to sleep. I would lay there doing anything but that for more than 24 hours and when I finally couldn't take it anymore, I went to sleep and I ended up having more nightmares. I knew it wasn't healthy but I kept doing it because I didn't want to deal with all of that. It was an ongoing cycle back and forth for a few months, until I went to therapy."</p><p>"Did they ever stop?"</p><p>"I still have them from time to time but for the most part, I barely have them anymore. I always write them down after I have them, walk around a bit, have a glass of water. That's what my therapist told me to do. Talking about it helps too."</p><p>He nodded, wiping away some tears. He didn't want to talk about it right now and Luke wasn't going to push any further. </p><p>Luke put his hand on Spencer's shoulder and when he felt tight, "Spence, your shoulder is so tense." He said as he massaged his shoulder. "Is this ok?"</p><p>Spencer only nodded before closing his eyes, his lips forming a small smile, enjoying the feeling as he rubbed on. </p><p>Luke wanted so badly to kiss him right then and there but he knew he couldn't do that. He looked at the clock which now marked 4:15 AM and sighed. If they didn't go to sleep now, they wouldn't get through the day and as much as he wanted nothing more but to keep touching Spencer, he knew he had to stop in order for them to be well rested in five hours.</p><p>When Luke stopped rubbing, Spencer opened his eyes with a frown and Luke had an apologetic look on his face, "We have to go to sleep or else tomorrow we won't get through the day."</p><p>Spencer nodded in agreement.</p><p>He watched as Luke laid down on his bed, under the covers, and he was suddenly craving his touch again.</p><p>"Do you want to sleep with me?" Luke asked as Spencer stared at him.</p><p>The doctor, not realizing he was staring, stuttered, "No, I-"</p><p>"I don't mind. I've had to sleep with Rossi once since all the other rooms were fully booked and he's a kicker in his sleep." He chuckled. "Nothing is worse than him."</p><p>"Ok." he agreed and walked over to his bed and got in.</p><p>They were facing each other now, Luke saying a soft "goodnight" and rubbing circles into Spencer's back to make him feel at ease.</p><p>Spencer sighed with relaxation, eyes closed, saying "goodnight" back to him and as he basked in his touch, he fell into a deep sleep until the next morning.</p><p> </p><p>As Spencer woke up, he saw an empty spot next to him. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and Luke was there, in nothing but a towel searching for his clothes. He had just gotten out of the shower judging by his damp hair and wet skin. </p><p>He must've been gaping at him because when Luke turned around, he said, "Careful there, a fly's going to choke you."</p><p>Spencer closed his mouth looking away, his face reddening with embarrassment as Luke went back into the bathroom.</p><p>He tried to calm himself, rubbing his cheeks as if that was going to help make the redness go away.</p><p>"Thank you for yesterday," Spencer told Luke as he got out of the bathroom. "You really helped me."</p><p>"That's what friends are for."</p><p>Friends. </p><p>There was that word again. That one simple word that felt like a punch in the gut.</p><p>As Luke got ready for the day, Spencer picked out his clothes and went into the shower, minutes later finishing up his routine and both of them heading out the door to get to work with the others.</p><p>The rest of the day was spent trying to track down the unsub that was involved with the murder of several different men.</p><p>They got done with the case fairly quickly but couldn't go home since the jet was having some technical difficulties.</p><p>Since it was getting close to midnight, the team decided to go to the hotel to get some sleep.</p><p>"Spence, you wanna sleep here again?" Luke asked as he was sitting on his bed. </p><p>He really wanted to. He wanted to feel his warm touch, his steady breathing, his overall presence but he didn't want to bother him anymore and as he began to protest Luke cut him off, saying, "Spence, it's fine. As long as it helps you then I'm ok with it. You slept through the rest of the night yesterday."</p><p>He finally agreed, both of them doing their nightly rituals before retiring to Luke's bed. They were in the same position as the day before, facing each other with Luke rubbing circles in Spencer's back to relax him. The doctor closed his eyes because if he looks at him a second more he just might ruin their friendship and kiss him. </p><p>He felt him stop rubbing his back and instead put his hand to his hair. "Is this ok?" Luke asked and without opening his eyes, Spencer whispered a "yes."</p><p>They drifted off, Spencer before Luke, and in the middle of the night, the young doctor woke up in a sweat again from the same nightmare as the night before.</p><p>This startled Luke and he tried his best to calm him down. "You're ok. You're ok, Spence. You're with me. You're safe."</p><p>Reid combed through his hair with both hands, sniffling, and saying, "I'm sorry I woke you."</p><p>"It's not your fault. You wanna talk about it? It helps."</p><p>He hesitated before giving in and telling him about his recurring dream. </p><p>Luke didn't know what to say, so he just said, "You know I'm here for you right?"</p><p>He only nodded and whispered a "Thank you."</p><p>"I'm always here for you." Luke told him, "Now let's go some sleep. You need it."</p><p> </p><p>"Of all the things you choose in life, you don't get to choose what your nightmares are. You don't pick them, they pick you." -John Irving</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am so horrible at starting and continuing conversations so you can only imagine how it goes for me when I'm writing them! Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter and thank you for the comments! You have no idea how happy they make me! And sorry if I comment back the same thing in every comment haha, like I said, I'm not very good at knowing what to say.</p><p>Also, I've watched the Spencer jail episodes and UGH MY BABY. I hate this show:(( They're just torturing Reid because they know he's a fan favorite! And I don't hate it just because of that but also because they didn't make Reid bisexual or Prentiss a lesbian when that was their initial plan! The only characters on the show that are LGBTQ+ are the victims and the unsubs! That is so not fair! I'm only watching this for Reid and for the happy little family moments between the team.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Fortune Cookies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke joins Spencer to visit Diana Reid.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day, the team was on standby, meaning they had a possibility for a case to come in, so they had to stay put.</p><p>As Prentiss made her way to her and JJ's hotel room, she stumbled upon Reid, who went up to her and said, "Emily, I think I'm going to hang around for a bit to see my mom if we don't have a case."</p><p>"You can take the next week to stay with her if you'd like." She said.</p><p>"But what if-"</p><p>"Let me rephrase that. Stay with your mom. We can work without you for a week just fine. I know you've been looking forward to this, Reid."</p><p>"Thank you, Emily."</p><p>With a nod and a smile, Prentiss left to go to her room.</p><p>As the sun set and they still didn't have a case, Spencer got ready to play poker with the team, which, considering Reid's expertise in the game, he was confident he'd win.</p><p>"Heard you're going to stay here for the week," Luke said, as he entered the room.</p><p>"Yeah, Prentiss gave me an order to stay and see my mom."</p><p>"That's good. I'm glad you get to see her."</p><p>"I'm glad too." He looked down and fumbled with his fingers.</p><p>Luke took notice of this and asked, "But?"</p><p>"Hmm?" He asked absentmindedly.</p><p>"Come on, talk to me." He said, sitting on his bed. "We've already talked about nightmares and we slept in the same bed. Come on, what's going on?"</p><p>The events of the morning flashed through his mind but quickly swept them away as he started feeling a blush setting in. He cleared his throat and began, "I'm afraid she won't remember who I am. Sometimes she's fine but other times she doesn't remember that I'm her son." He said, not looking up. "I mean I can handle when she has her schizophrenic breaks but this....this is just harder for some reason."</p><p>"Well nobody wants to be forgotten by their parents." He said. "I can go with you if it'd make it easier on you."</p><p>Spencer looked up at this, "No, but the case-"</p><p>"We're on standby and if there is a case, I can ask Prentiss if I can stay and do it from here."</p><p>"Luke, you've already done so much for me-"</p><p>"If that's your concern, then you can buy me some dinner, and then we'll be even."</p><p>He hesitated before agreeing. "I have been wanting to try this new Chinese restaurant a friend told me about."</p><p>"Ok, great. We'll order from there and then go to your mom."</p><p>"Thank you, Luke."</p><p>He only nodded and said, "Any time. Let's go play some poker for now."</p><p>As they got downstairs, they started setting up the game.</p><p>A few minutes of the game went by and Spencer and Luke were the ones left playing.</p><p>"What's your move Alvez?" Tara asked.</p><p>He gave a cheeky smile and said, "I'm all in." pushing all his money to the center.</p><p>"I'm all in too," Spencer said, doing the same.</p><p>Once they showed each other their cards, they realized that Luke had won.</p><p>Spencer had a surprised look on his face and the rest of the team was just as surprised, saying stuff like "Our little genius finally lost?" and that it was "Too good to be true." like Rossi had said.</p><p>"You let me win, right?" Luke asked as they went up to their room.</p><p>Spencer had a hint of a smile on his face, "I don't know what you're talking about."</p><p>"Come on genius, there is no way someone can beat you unless you let them win. You're a pro at this. You're not fooling anyone."</p><p>"The rest of the team seems pretty fooled."</p><p>"I hope you know I'm not keeping the money."</p><p>"Yes, you are."</p><p>"I didn't win."</p><p>"Just keep the money. Then you'll be paying with my money, which is now your money."</p><p>"Fine, Reid. Let's go get some Chinese food."</p><p>Once they got to the restaurant, they went to order their food and while they were waiting, Luke asked, "What are you getting?"</p><p>"Orange chicken and Chow Mein."</p><p>"I'm getting the same."</p><p>"You know Chow Mein is a name originating from the Taishanese word chāu mèing. These people come from a city called Taisha of the pearl river delta and while most people believe that Chow Mein originated from America, Chow Mein is authentically Chinese based cuisine."</p><p>As he rambled on, Luke smiled and thought that he was the luckiest person in the world to have met him and he wouldn't spend his Friday night any other way.</p><p>"Sorry, I'm rambling again." He tapped his fingers on his lap.</p><p>"No, it's fine. Ramble on if you want. I don't mind." He smiled and he seemed so genuine that it made Reid fall for him even more.</p><p>They drove to Diana's after getting their food and as they got to the living room, Spencer spoke up, "Hi, mom. This is my coworker, Luke."</p><p>"Is this the man you've been telling me about?" She asked her son, his face reddening already, and then looked back at Luke. "Spencer has told me so much about you."</p><p>Luke gave a cheeky smile. "I'm flattered." As he saw the doctor's face, he looked at the food in his hand and said, "I can heat this up for us if you'd like. I'm starving."</p><p>Diana thanked him and as he was out of earshot, he turned to her son and said, "He seems like a nice boy."</p><p>Spencer watched him leave and said, "Yeah, he is."</p><p>"You like him." She stated.</p><p>Spencer began tapping his fingers against his leg again and bit his lip. "I mean yeah. He's a good guy. He's my friend."</p><p>"You know what I mean, boy wonder." She doted on her son.</p><p>Spencer gave up with a sigh and asked, "How did you know?"</p><p>Her face broke into a smile and said, "A mother knows all. And those letters...what you've told me about him and how much you talk about him? I just know."</p><p>He chuckles. "I regret telling you what happened."</p><p>"Well, I'm glad you told me. It makes me happy when you're happy and he definitely makes you happy."</p><p>"Yeah, he does," he says, fondly.</p><p>As they finished their food, they went on to eat their fortune cookies.</p><p>Reid unfolded the little piece of paper and read, "A shooting star will bring you good luck in the near future."</p><p>Luke did the same with his. "A good friendship is often more important than a passionate romance."</p><p>"If we are all glow worms, try to be a glow worm," Diana read. She looked up at Spencer with her brows furrowed in confusion and asked, "The hell does that mean?"</p><p>He smiled at his mother's reaction and rambled on, "Most fortunes are badly translated. Changing the language of the fortune, sometimes distorts the meaning of the expression, making it sound strange."</p><p>Diana smiled at his son. "The vast knowledge that you hold is incredible. Never stop learning or teaching, Spence."</p><p>"Thanks, Mom. I won't," he smiled, treasuring his mother's words. "I'm going to put our dishes in the sink."</p><p>"I'll help," Luke said, getting up from his seat and following Reid with some plates. "Your mom seems nice."</p><p>"Yeah, she is for the most part." He said, looking down, "She's not always like this. When she forgets.....and then when she has her schizophrenic breaks....it's only a matter of time when she has those."</p><p>Luke didn't know what to say so he put his hand on his shoulder and asked, "Is this ok?"</p><p>Spencer closed his eyes, trying not to cry, and only nodded.</p><p>Luke squeezed his shoulder in reassurance that everything will be ok and Spencer leaned into the touch, craving more. As Spencer opened his eyes, he smiled and nodded as a thank you, and Luke let go.</p><p>As they went back into the living room, they saw Diana standing at Spencer's bookshelf and when she turned around, she asked, "I'm sorry, who are you?"</p><p>He dreaded these moments every time he saw her. She was only getting worse and he knew this but he didn't want to believe it. In a shaky voice, he said, "It's me, mom. Spencer. Your son."</p><p>The woman had a surprised look on her face, which turned into sadness. "Oh, right. I'm sorry, Spencer. I need to...I need to get some rest. You boys should too. Don't stay up too late." Diana said, walking to her room and closing the door behind her.</p><p>They went to Spencer's room and as he saw Spencer's face, Luke asked, "What do you need?"</p><p>"I just need her to be ok." He said and after a while, he asked, "Stay? Please. I don't want to be alone."</p><p>"Of course. Whatever you need, I'm here for you."</p><p>"Thank you, Luke. I know I've said this a hundred times, but really, thank you. For everything." </p><p>He nodded. "Let's get some sleep. It's almost midnight."</p><p>They got into the twin sized bed and Spencer couldn't hold back the tears anymore. </p><p>Luke noticed this and hugged him. "Is this ok?" He asked.</p><p>Spencer responded by hugging back and burying his face against Luke's chest.</p><p>He played with his hair, whispering comforting words in his ear until they both fell asleep.</p><p>"A shooting star will bring you good luck in the near future." -some fortune that I found on google....</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry I haven't updated. I was having a bit of trouble writing this, which made me have no motivation to write but alas, I have posted the third chapter!</p><p>It's been two years since I've stayed writing fanfiction! I started on Wattpad with writing Tyrus and I recently stopped writing them a few months ago.</p><p>I've just started Supernatural and I have to watch Criminal Minds season 13-15 in a week or else I have to pay for CBS. Also DESTIEL OMG I might write some fanfiction about them. Maybe a crossover between Ralvez and Destiel! I'm excited! I've also started watching Legion and Aubrey Plaza is so good as Lenny! The show is confusing though and I never know what's happening.... I also watched "Happiest Season" on Hulu and my gayness level shot up when I saw Kristin Stewart and Aubrey Plaza on screen! I didn't like the movie that much though, which disappointed me but will I re-watch it just for Aubrey and Kristin? Of course!</p><p>I hope you guys liked this chapter!</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Kiss it better</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luke woke up with the sound of plates being thrown and then a scream. He jolted up and rubbed his eyes in a sleep dazed state when he remembered the events of the night before. He heard someone slamming a door and then Spencer's voice calling out for his mom to come out of her room.</p><p>Then there was silence. </p><p>Luke decided to get out of bed and help the younger man. As he got to him, he saw Spencer was kneeling on the floor, picking up pieces of glass.</p><p>"I'm sorry we woke you," Spencer told him as he saw him walk toward him.</p><p>"Spence, what happened?" Luke asked with a concerned look on his face. </p><p>Reid gave out an exasperated sigh and rubbed his eyes. "My mom didn't recognize me and thought I was trying to hurt her, so she started throwing plates at me."</p><p>Luke frowned. He wanted his genius to be happy. "Spencer, I'm sorry."</p><p>"It's fine. My day could be worse. At least I didn't get any nightmares, though that's because I barely slept."</p><p>"You should try and rest. I'll clean this up."</p><p>He shook his head. "No, I don't want to be a bad host. This is bad enough and-"</p><p>"Hey, I know this is not an ideal situation, but I still like hanging out with you, even if it's to take care of your mom. I'm the one that offered to be here, so don't blame yourself. It's all good."</p><p>His words made Spencer's heart soar. He didn't deserve this man in his life. He thought back to his mother's words from the night before about him possibly reciprocating feelings but quickly shook the thought away because of how far fetched the idea was.</p><p>"Do you have a broom?" Luke asked, cutting into his thoughts.</p><p>Spencer frowned. "Yeah, but it's broken." He bent over the shards of glass, carefully picking them up, Luke doing the same. They were all relatively big pieces, so it wasn't too hard to pick them up, but they still had to be cautious. </p><p>Luke winced in pain and dropped a piece of the plate as it dug into his skin. Blood started dripping from his hand, and Spencer got up to get a paper towel.</p><p>"Apply pressure to it." He said as he gave him a paper towel. "I'm so sorry about this. Here, let's go to the bathroom. Wash your hands, and then I'll put some ointment on it to make it heal faster and so it doesn't get infected."</p><p>"I should've been more careful. I can do it myself." He said, walking to the bathroom.</p><p>"No, let me help you. Please." The doctor said, and after Luke washed his hands, Spencer said, "Sit."</p><p>Luke did as he was told, sitting on the toilet seat and putting his hand out in front of him.</p><p>"Most people put hydrogen peroxide on injuries, but that only makes it worse. It delays the healing," Spencer said, going through the bathroom cabinet for an ointment that he could put on Luke's cut. </p><p>"Huh. Learn something new every day. Thanks, Doc."</p><p>"It's the least I could do after all you've done for me." After putting the ointment on his cut, he put a bandage on his hand.</p><p>"Kiss it better?" Luke joked, his eyebrows raised.</p><p>Spencer blushed a bright red and looked away.</p><p>Luke's smile dropped in concern. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."</p><p>"It's fine," Spencer said.</p><p>There was a buzz from Luke's phone, so he took it out of his pocket.</p><p>"It's the BAU." He told Spencer. "I can work from here if-"</p><p>"No, go. I'll be fine. Seriously I will."</p><p>"Ok, if you need anything, I'm a phone call away."</p><p>"Oh, yeah. I'll call you in the middle of you finding a serial killer." </p><p>They chuckled. "I'll drop everything for you," Luke told him, truthfully. "Even a serial killer." He joked.</p><p>Spencer grinned, and he doted on Luke's presence, soaking it all in before he had to go to work.</p><p>"I have to go," Luke said after a while of gazing at each other. </p><p>Spencer blushed as they stopped, saying, "Right. You have to go." </p><p>They walked out of the bathroom, and as Spencer realized Luke hadn't eaten, he said, "It's not very healthy to skip breakfast. They say it's the most important meal of the day."</p><p>"Well, if you're concerned about my health," he grabbed an apple and took a bite out of it, "this is my breakfast. Bye, Spence."</p><p>"You know, you have to wash that first, right? You can get a foodborne illness if you have a compromised immune system."</p><p>Luke chuckled, and as he opened the door, he said, "I'll take my chances." and went out the door.</p><p>Spencer smiled and whispered, "Bye." </p><p> </p><p>"You don't need another human being to make your life complete, but let's be honest. Having your wounds kissed by someone who doesn't see them as disasters in your soul but cracks to put their love into is the most calming thing in the world." -Emery Allen.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Haha, I literally dumped a whole bucket of hurt/comfort onto this fanfic and I love it. Any of you guys watch ColeyDoesThings on YouTube? It's a fandom based YouTube channel. She's one of my favorites. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter! :)</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Friends don't</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just some more Ralvez fluff and hurt/comfort and taking care of each other.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Spencer woke up in a sweat again, panting, trying to catch his breath.</p><p>It was the same nightmare: him being cornered and stabbed by the guard while the inmate got a hold of him.</p><p>He collapsed back into his pillow, staring at the ceiling, trying to steady his breath. If Luke were there, he'd be calming him down again, hand stroking his back, the other playing with his hair, slow breathing fanning against Spencer's face. He closed his eyes, imagining Luke holding him as they fell asleep. His warm, soft skin, his strong arms around him, protecting and calming him down, whispering comforting words in his ear. </p><p>He'd become somewhat accustomed to it, as they slowly built up to the cuddling, both enjoying the closeness very much. Spencer needed that right now, so he did the next best thing.</p><p>He opened his eyes and took his phone from his nightstand. He needed to hear Luke's voice. </p><p>The phone rang as he put it to his ear and then heard his voice. "Spence, you ok?" He asked.</p><p>"I'm fine." Spencer lied. "Did I wake you?"</p><p>"No. What's up?"</p><p>"Just wanted to say hi," Spencer said.</p><p>"Ok, well bye now." Luke stayed silent for a second and then broke it by chuckling. "No, I'm kidding. I'm glad you called."</p><p>"Yeah?" Spencer smiled.</p><p>"Yeah. I like talking to you. Also, I'm having trouble sleeping."</p><p>"Could be because of stress or an irregular sleep schedule," Spencer told him.</p><p>"Well, with this job, it's hard to keep a sleeping schedule." He said. "Speaking of the BAU, you coming back tomorrow?"</p><p>"I am."</p><p>"That's good. How's your mom doing?"</p><p>"She's ok. She's back at the facility so they can help her. I'm glad I could spend the week with her. We watched some old movies, and she even read me some of my favorite books."</p><p>"That's good, Spence. I'm glad you could spend this time with her."</p><p>"I am too,"</p><p>"Have you had any nightmares?" Luke asked.</p><p>Spencer hesitated. "No."</p><p>"Are you sure?" Luke asked, seeing through his lie.</p><p>He sighed. "I just had one. It's the same nightmare. That's why I called you."</p><p>"I'm glad you called, but you need to talk to someone about it." </p><p>"I'm talking to you."</p><p>"You need to talk to a professional. A therapist. It helps, Spence."</p><p>"I will."</p><p>"Good," Luke hesitated before saying, "Is it ok if I fall asleep to your voice?"</p><p>Spencer bit his lip at the request, his face heating up, and asked, "What do you want me to talk about?"</p><p>"Anything you want," Luke whispered, his voice sending tingles down Spencer's body.</p><p>Spencer cleared his throat, thinking about what to say. "Ok, well, last night, I read an article about how the moon has moonquakes, just like how the Earth has earthquakes, but they're less common and less intense." He rambled, keeping his voice at a low volume, so it would be easier for Luke to fall asleep. A few minutes later, Spencer could hear light snoring through the phone. "Goodnight." He whispered before hanging up and falling asleep minutes later, thinking about Luke.</p><p> </p><p>The next day, Spencer finally returned to the BAU.</p><p>"Wonderboy!" Penelope exclaimed, walking towards him to hug him. "I'm so glad you're back."</p><p>"Reid, welcome back!" Prentiss told him. "We missed you!"</p><p>"Hey, welcome back, doc," Luke said.</p><p>"I missed you guys so much!" He said, hugging his team members. "How'd you guys do without me?"</p><p>"What? You think we can't function without you?" Prentiss asked in a soft tone, meaning no offense. "We did pretty well, though we'd be better if you were here since your brain is the source of our success."</p><p>"Oh, come on. You function well without me just fine."</p><p>"You're too humble, Spence. Welcome back."</p><p>After a long day of catching a certain serial killer who strangled his victims with bungee cords after luring them to his house with help of his dog, they decided to go to the bar. </p><p>Spencer and Luke rode in Luke's car. They talked during the ride, and that's when he took a left turn. </p><p>"It was to the right," Spencer said.</p><p>"Oh, sorry, I got confused." He lied, though Spencer didn't notice. "I'm sorry I fell asleep in the middle of your rambling session last night. What'd I miss?"</p><p>Spencer's eyes lit up as they do whenever he was about to ramble. "You lose up to thirty percent of your taste buds during flight. The elevation in an airplane can affect our ability to taste things."</p><p>"Ah, so that's why whenever I eat in the jet, it barely tastes like anything."</p><p>Spencer nodded and rambled the whole way to the bar, and Luke was happy to hear his voice.</p><p>As they entered the bar, they went over to their friends, who were sitting at a table. </p><p>"Glad you guys made it! We are already getting hammered!" Said a semi-drunk Prentiss.</p><p>"Wow, boss knows how to have fun," Luke said, sitting beside Tara at the table. "Sorry we're late. We got lost during the ride."</p><p>Tara eyed him, not quite believing him, as he had gone there with the rest of the team many times after work, but didn't say anything.</p><p>The night was spent talking and overall just having a good time as a family until closing time hit at 12.</p><p>"Well, this is going to be fun, getting these children home," Rossi said.</p><p>"You didn't drink?" Spencer asked.</p><p>"Nah, I order Berry Mojito Mocktails for when I don't want to get drunk. Plus, somebody's gotta get these goofballs home." He said, "What'd you get?"</p><p>"Roy Rodgers," Spencer said, taking a sip of his drink.</p><p>"Good Mocktail. You gonna take Luke home?" He asked, nodding in Luke's direction.</p><p>"Yep."</p><p>Rossi slowly nodded. "He's a good kid. I can tell he makes you happy." And the genius could tell there was a meaning behind his words.</p><p>Spencer looked at Luke and bit his lip before saying, "He does."</p><p>"That's good." the old man said, getting up to leave. "And, kid? Take a leap of faith."</p><p>When Spencer's cheeks darkened, Rossi kept going. "I know it can be scary to put yourself out there, especially in front of someone you like, but you won't know if he has the same feelings if you don't do anything about it. I'm telling you, take a leap of faith." and with that, he took the rest of the team to his luxurious car, leaving a sober Spencer and a drunk Luke behind.</p><p>As Spencer approached him, Luke hiccupped. "Yurreally pretty." He slurred his words. "I wanna kiss youuu."</p><p>Spencer bit his lip as he thought about kissing him, but that would be taking advantage of him, and he didn't want to kiss him while he wasn't sober.</p><p>"You're drunk. You don't mean that." Spencer told him as he helped him up. "Come on. It's late. I'll drive you to my place so you can sober up."</p><p>"I love your place. It smells like you." He purred.</p><p>Spencer smiled at the comment and tried to hold the older man up, walking towards his car.</p><p>"Ok, where are your keys?" Spencer asked the drunk man.</p><p>Luke took them out of his pocket, and Spencer picked them out of his hand to open the car door. He walked him to the passenger's side and guided him to his seat, shutting the door.</p><p>The drunk man started laughing out of nowhere as Reid started driving. </p><p>He turned towards the drunk man and smiled at him. "What's so funny?"</p><p>"I dunno," Luke said, still giggling. </p><p>His giggles died into a yawn. "'m sleepy."</p><p>"That's because alcohol depresses the central nervous system. It has a sedative effect that helps you relax and makes you drowsy, so you fall asleep faster."</p><p>Luke hummed. "I love it when you talk." </p><p>Luke was making it so hard for Spencer to stop liking him, and it wasn't helping that he kept on being the most adorable person ever. </p><p>Drunk Luke made Spencer feel so appreciated and loved. Not that sober Luke didn't make him feel the same, but drunk Luke didn't hold back, and that's what Spencer loved about him.</p><p>Spencer helped him out of the car and up the stairs into his apartment.</p><p>"Here, eat a banana. It helps with hangovers since alcohol can suck the potassium right out of us when we drink too much. This depletion of potassium is one of the reasons we feel sick the next morning after a night of drinking alcohol. In theory, by replenishing your potassium stores with bananas, you're fortifying your diet with one of the best natural sources of potassium you could ever eat."</p><p>"I love the sound of your voice." Luke giggled after taking a bite of his banana.</p><p>Spencer blushed and went to the sink to get him a glass of water. "Water helps too. And sleep. You need to sleep."</p><p>"Mmm 'k, doc." He said. After finishing his banana and his glass of water, he managed to walk to his room on his own. "Can you stay with me?"</p><p>"Yes, of course."</p><p>As they made their way to Spencer's bed, Luke hugged him. </p><p>"Your hair smells pretty. It's so soft." The drunken man said as he played with it.</p><p>Spencer smiled at the compliment. "Thank you." </p><p>The older man quickly fell asleep in Spencer's arms. It wasn't much later after the younger man fell asleep.</p><p>Friends don't fall asleep in each other's arms. They don't call each other just to hear each other's voices. They don't comfort each other after a nightmare every night. At least he didn't think so as he'd never been in a friendship like this. He never did any of this with Morgan or Emily, or even with JJ. </p><p>He thought back to what Rossi had told him at the bar.</p><p>He was going to take a leap of faith.</p><p>Just not today.</p><p> </p><p>The next morning, Luke woke up with a pounding headache and a pain in his stomach. He gagged and quickly ran to the bathroom to throw up.</p><p>He wiped his lips with a paper towel and splashed his face with some cold water before going to the kitchen where Spencer was at.</p><p>"Hey, how are you doing?" Spencer asked him.</p><p>"Not good, considering the killer headache I have right now, and wow, those lights are so bright!" He shielded his eyes with his hand. </p><p>Spencer turned off the lights. "I made banana smoothie and overnight oats consisting of banana, oats, milk, cinnamon, and chia seeds."</p><p>"Spence, you really shouldn't-"</p><p>"Luke, I am your friend and a genius that has a vast amount of knowledge on how to make a hangover not so bad." He said, putting his food in front of him. "Eat up."</p><p>"Thank you. If you weren't here, then I would be in agony."</p><p>"I agree." Spencer joked.</p><p>"Seriously, though, thank you for everything. I'm sorry I had to put you through all of this. I didn't say anything I'd regret, right?"</p><p>Spencer's face flushed as he thought about what Luke had said the night before about wanting to kiss him and quickly propped his face on his hand, trying to hide the redness on his cheeks. Luke didn't seem to notice as he was too busy looking down at his bowl, trying not to look in his direction since the window was behind him. "No, no. You just sort of laughed the whole ride."</p><p>"At what?"</p><p>"Nothing. Everything. I don't really know." Spencer chuckled as he recalled the night.</p><p>"Well, good to know that I'm a laughing drunk."</p><p>And a flirty drunk if you could even call those moments flirting. Thought, Reid. He shook the thought away since it was an unlikely idea. After they finished with their breakfast, Spencer put their plates in the sink and turned to Luke. "You up for some Star Wars?"</p><p>"Always." Luke smiled. They made their way to the couch and turned on the TV. The rest of the day, they would binge watch Star Wars as they sat there, basking in each other's warmth.</p><p> </p><p>"Friends don't call you in the middle of the night Couldn't even tell you why They just felt like saying "hi" Friends don't stand around, playing with their keys Finding reasons not to leave Trying to hide the chemistry Drive a little too slow, take the long way home Get a little too close We do, but friends don't." -Friends don't by Maddie &amp; Tae.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shout out to this song for giving me some ideas for this chapter! I worked on this all day today and yesterday. It's my longest chapter consisting of 2,000+ words! Thank you for all the comments and kudos on this book. I really appreciate every single one of them. They make me so happy! I hope you like this chapter! :) I had such fun writing it!!</p><p>Also, just watched Suburban Gothic a few days ago on YouTube. MGG is on it and it was good.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Sunday Morning Run</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They were in the kitchen while Luke spoke to Tara and Matt. "How's Roxy?" Matt asked. "The kids really like her. You better bring her over some time."</p><p>"She's great, and I will. You know, every Sunday morning, I go on a run with her. You all should join me."</p><p>"I'll join you." Spencer blurted without even thinking.</p><p>Luke quirked his eyebrows up in disbelief. "You will?"</p><p>"Uh... yeah. Yeah, I uh... need to stay in shape." He stuttered and as Tara eyed him suspiciously, he added, "And I haven't seen Roxy in months."</p><p>"Ok. I usually wake up at 5 AM to run, and I advise you to bring some treats."</p><p>There was no backing out now.</p><p>"Ok, I'll be at your doorstep at 5."</p><p>Spencer Reid was not an early riser. He needed to sleep at least until 11 PM on his days off. That hadn't been successful for a while since Spencer had been having nightmares every night. He couldn't sleep past 5 AM even if he wanted to.</p><p>At least he'd be doing something productive as most nights he laid in his bed, waiting for sleep to strike him. His mind was not a place to linger in. Sure he could entertain himself with the knowledge that he had, but sometimes he was afraid of his mind.</p><p>He forced himself to get out of bed, picked some clothes and running shoes, and then headed to Luke's apartment.</p><p>"Hey, Doc! You're right on time!" Luke said as he opened the door for Spencer.</p><p>He yawned. "How are you so cheery in the morning?"</p><p>"I remind myself that there is this great day ahead and that I am grateful to have another day on Earth."</p><p>"I'm not going to be so grateful in a few minutes."</p><p>"Aw, come on. Lighten up, Spence." He said, grabbing Roxy by the leash. </p><p>The pair walked side by side, and as they got to the trail Luke usually ran at, he began to stretch. "We gotta stretch first."</p><p>"Right. Not stretching before any similar activity can injure you." He said while warming up.</p><p>A few minutes later, they finished, and Spencer took the chance to back away. "Wow, well, that was a workout. We should head back."</p><p>"No no no no, none of that. Reid, we're already here. You can't back out now." He smiled.</p><p>Spencer sighed, "I regret agreeing to this."</p><p>"Then why did you volunteer yourself?" He smiled.</p><p>Spencer bit his lip, looking at the ground, not wanting to say, though he knew well enough.</p><p>"I'll go easy on you. Come on. Race you." He started running as soon as he finished the sentence.</p><p>"This is not you going easy on me, and this is not fair! You got a head start!" He tried catching up with them. "And you're much more fit than I am!"</p><p>"Come on! Even Roxy can outrun you!" He poked fun at him with no malignant intentions.</p><p>"That's because of her body structure." He said, struggling to speak, already out of breath.</p><p>They ran for twenty more minutes with long breaks in between, and when they finally stopped, Spencer collapsed on the grass.</p><p>"That was a good run," Luke said, catching his breath.</p><p>Spencer groaned and petted Roxy. "No, it wasn't."</p><p>"Come on, let's go to my place. I'll make breakfast," Luke said, and as he saw Spencer open his mouth to say something, he cut him off. "Before you say no-"</p><p>"Actually, I was about to say yes. Breakfast sounds nice." He said.</p><p>Luke got up and put his hand out so Spencer could stand. As he pulled him up, they were much closer than expected, faces less than an inch apart, and Spencer could swear that Luke looked down at his lips for half a second. He didn't dare linger on the thought, though. It was probably just a fluke anyway.</p><p>They walked side by side back to the car with Roxy following beside them.</p><p>Spencer talked statistics on the ride there, and Luke smiled at how adorable he was while rambling. It was easily one of his favorite things about him, how his voice got higher-pitched, how he talked with his hands, how he got so excited to talk about the knowledge he had. It was honestly one of the most attractive things about him.</p><p>Luke treasured every single word he said even if most times he didn't understand anything he was talking about.</p><p>They got to his apartment. "I always make an omelet with cheese and mushrooms with a green leaf smoothie after running, but I'm guessing you want your morning coffee?" Spencer nodded at that, and Luke asked, "Maybe we can watch some more Star Wars?"</p><p>Spencer beamed at that and went to the couch and turned on the TV. A few minutes after making Roxy's food, Luke went to the couch and sat down beside Spencer, handing him the plate.</p><p>Spencer took a bite and let out a groan. "This is so good. Thank you." </p><p>He went back into the kitchen, and a minute later came back with a mug of coffee. "Just how you like it. With lots of sugar."</p><p>Spencer smiled and took the mug. "You're the best."</p><p>"I mean, after the run, you deserve it."</p><p>Spencer hummed in agreement. "I do."</p><p>Spencer decided running with Luke wasn't so bad. After all, he got to spend the whole morning with him.</p><p> </p><p>It was night now, and they decided to call each other to fall asleep better.</p><p>"My legs hurt so badly," Spencer whined.</p><p>"You get used to it after a while."</p><p>"Oh, I'm not doing this again!" The genius said. "Never again."</p><p>Luke just laughed. "You didn't learn your lesson after Penelope?"</p><p>"She told you about that?"</p><p>"Of course she did." He chuckled.</p><p>Spencer groaned. "Can we go to sleep now? I don't want to feel the soreness anymore, and the sooner I get to sleep, the better."</p><p>"Ok, doc. It's my turn to talk us to sleep." He said, and Spencer hummed with happiness.</p><p>"Ok, hold on," Luke said, and a few seconds later, he got back and started talking again. "I have something for you." He started swiping through the pages of a book and then cleared his throat, quietly narrating. "On the second day of December when a Georgia peanut farmer..."</p><p>Spencer thought about what book it was until he finally concluded several seconds later. "Doctor Sleep by Stephen King?" And when he heard him agreeing, he gave out a laugh. "Oh, how fitting! Not the plot but the title. Dr. Sleep brings comfort to people who are dying. That's how he earns the nickname. But out of context, it's quite fitting."</p><p>Luke smiled. "Shall I keep reading, so we fall asleep?"</p><p>"You shall." Spencer closed his eyes, hearing his gruff and soothing voice. He noticed Luke wasn't talking anymore and breathing lightly. He got a warm feeling in his stomach, enjoying the intimacy despite them still being far away. Spencer was at the edge of sleep and didn't feel like turning the phone call of, so he let it go on. Soon, he fell asleep to Luke's breathing.</p><p> </p><p>"The deepest moments of intimacy occur when you’re not talking." — Patricia Love</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If them falling asleep on a phone call isn't the most romantic and fluffy thing ever, then I don't know what is!</p><p>There may or may not be some angst next chapter, just a warning. </p><p>Also, Miley Cyrus's new album, "Plastic Hearts" is so good! I have it on repeat. Easily one of my favorite albums aside from "Kid Krow" by Conan Gray and "Kamikaze" by Eminem.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Drunk Pupils</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Buckle up shippers, because it's all been rainbows and sunshine up to this point. There's a big old storm coming from now on.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As he arrived at the bullpen, Spencer overheard Tara and Luke talking about their previous relationships.</p><p>"Yeah, my first boyfriend was in High School. We were both seniors-" Spencer cut him off.</p><p>"Boyfriend?" He blurted without thinking.</p><p>Luke tensed at his reaction. "Yeah, is that a problem?" </p><p>"No, no, no, I- I'm actually bisexual." Reid quickly said, trying to keep his cool, and Luke seemed to relax a little.</p><p>"Hmm. Welcome to the club." He smiled, and god, Spencer felt like he was going to melt right then and there. His brain was short-circuiting, and he wanted to explode and scream, but all those feelings shut down as Luke walked towards the elevator, where a woman was standing.</p><p>"Hey, babe," Luke went towards her and kissed her on the lips. "Guys, this is my girlfriend, Lisa. Lisa, these are my friends."</p><p>Who knew that in just one minute, joy could instantly turn into pure sadness?</p><p>"Hi! Luke has told me so much about you guys," she hugged everyone, and as she got to Spencer, everything about her seemed to change from the way she talked to her body language. "Especially about you, Dr. Reid." She said, and Spencer could tell that she wasn't happy about him, which no one noticed, and when she didn't hug him, she said, "I heard you don't like touch."</p><p>Spencer cleared his throat and forced a smile. "Yeah, not the biggest fan. It's a germ thing."</p><p>She stared at him for a second too long, and when she stopped, Tara went in to save him. "Spence, you wanna go to a Thai restaurant? I'm a regular there, and it's a family business, so I can get you some discounts."</p><p>"Yes." He quickly said. Anything to get out of there.</p><p>They said their good-byes, and Tara and Spencer quickly left. Spencer noticed Luke's frown as they walked out but decided that it was his mind playing games with him.</p><p>There was silence in the car for a few minutes until Tara broke it. "So, Lisa?"</p><p>Spencer cleared his throat. "What about her?"</p><p>"That was pretty intense back there."</p><p>Spencer looked down at his lap, not saying anything.</p><p>"And Luke?" When he still didn't say anything, she said, "You're nervous and sad."</p><p>"Wh- no, I'm not."</p><p>"Your voice is slightly higher, you're tapping your hands against your lap, you blushed and bit your lip at the mention of Luke, and I saw you go from happy to sad in a single minute back there. Do you want me to go on?" She asked, and the genius stayed silent. "I can see that he likes you. It's all in his eyes and his body language. His pupils dilate where he looks at you-"</p><p>"Pupils dilate for several reasons, including the alterations of light, fear, eye injuries. Even when you're drunk-" </p><p>"I know you're a genius, Spence, but right now, you're being dumb. You keep on making excuses, and that has got to stop!"</p><p>"Why is he dating Lisa if he likes me then?"</p><p>"Because he's dumb. Just like how you're being dumb by making excuses when you know deep down he likes you," She said. "but you don't want to admit it, do you?"</p><p>"Can we stop talking about this? Please?' He asked, not looking up.</p><p>"Ok." She said, "how's your mom?"</p><p>Spencer frowned even more if possible. "Not that either."</p><p>"Ok, tell me some fun facts then."</p><p>He thought for a bit and then started rambling without the usual excitement plastered on his face. "People with kidney stones have a chance on them passing if they go on a rollercoaster ride. Studies show that 69% of people with kidney stones that sit at the back of rollercoasters either don't have them anymore or they have fewer. It was the same for 16% of the people who rode in the front."</p><p>"That's pretty interesting," Tara said.</p><p>Spencer looked up at that. "You think so?"</p><p>"Yeah," Tara said, truthfully. "You know, it always amazes me how much knowledge you have in that brain of yours."</p><p>He gave her a small smile and continued to ramble, this time more happily, about random facts that he'd read along the years.</p><p> </p><p>Once they went inside, Spencer saw there weren't many people.</p><p>"Uncle Frank! Nice to see you again," She said as a tall, dark-skinned man walked over to them. "Where's Oliver?"</p><p>"I sent him home to get a good night's sleep. That man is working too hard. Who's this?" He turned to Spencer.</p><p>"This is Spencer Reid, my coworker, and friend. The genius doctor I've told you about."</p><p>"Nice to meet you, Dr. Reid!" He said, extending his arm for a handshake. "Oh, right. I forgot about the germ thing. Sorry. Sit! We'll be with you shortly to take your order."</p><p>He retreated to the kitchen, and the pair of friends sat at a random table.</p><p>"This restaurant has a bar, which is why it's my favorite," she said. "You have got to get the curry. It's the best thing ever. I order it every time I come here."</p><p>When a waitress went towards them to take their orders, Tara ordered the curry.</p><p>"I'll get the same." Spencer said and then added, "I'll get a beer too."</p><p>Tara looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Doctor Reid doesn't drink."</p><p>Spencer shrugged and said, "He does now," popping some nuts into his mouth.</p><p>"Look, if this is about Luke-" she began but got cut off by the doctor.</p><p>"It's not about that. Not everything revolves around him."</p><p>He wanted to forget about all his problems, not just about Luke and Lisa, but about his mother's downhill condition, about his prison nightmares, about everything. Spencer knew he couldn't take Dilaudid in fear of getting addicted again, so this was slightly better, though he knew he could relapse by drinking. The chances were slim, and he was willing to take those chances.</p><p>"Ok, Reid. Whatever you say." She said truthfully. She wasn't being sarcastic at all. She just wanted to be there for her friend.</p><p>After eating their curry, Spencer moved on to his beer.</p><p>"Can I get some shots?" Tara asked the bartender, who got a shot glass from the shelf and poured alcohol in. </p><p>Five shots later and Tara was officially drunk, with Spencer already finishing with his drink.</p><p>"Are you drinking that?" He pointed to her unfinished beer.</p><p>"No, but-" before she could finish, he grabbed it and chugged it in one go.</p><p>"Spenceeer," she whined, already drunk. </p><p>"Taraaaaa," he copied, giggling afterward. </p><p>"Your eyes are big. Your...your pupils." Tara said.</p><p>"I think that's because I'm drunk." </p><p>Tara started laughing now. "Your drunk pupils."</p><p>Spencer laughed along and repeated, "Our drunk pupils."</p><p>As their laughter died down, he put his head on the table, and when Tara saw him frowning, she asked, "What's in that pretty little brain of yours?" </p><p>"My mom is getting worse and worse. I- I visited her yesterday, and she didn't recognize me." He slurred his words.</p><p>Tara was already tearing up. "I'm sorry, Spence. This sucks. First your boyfriend-"</p><p>"He's not my boyfriend." He interrupted, looking up at her.</p><p>"Exactly!" She shouted and luckily there was only another person in the restaurant. "And now your mom?"</p><p>"And the nightmares, and the panic attacks," Spencer added.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, brainiac. You deserve the world. This is- this is not fair." She cried, and now Spencer was crying too. </p><p>"Thank you." He sobbed, and Tara wobbled over to him and hugged him, both sobbing into each other's clothes.</p><p>"Geez, I'm gone for half an hour, and you're already drunk?" Tara's uncle said, walking over to them. "Is there anyone I can call?*</p><p>"You better call Luke," Tara said, with an arm around Spencer.</p><p>"Who's this Luke? He another one of your coworkers?" </p><p>"Mmhm." She said, nodding her head. "He's also Spencer's boyfriend."</p><p>"Shhh. No, he is not!" Spencer yelled.</p><p>Tara took out her phone and accidentally dropped it. Frank picked it up, asked what the password was, and after unlocking it, went to her contacts to find Luke. </p><p>The phone rang in his hand and then he heard a voice. "Tara?"</p><p>"Hi, it's Tara's uncle here. Tara and your doctor friend are at my restaurant. They're drunk. Sadly, I've still got work to do, and I can't take them home. Sorry to ask, but can you pick them up? I'll send the address."</p><p>"Yeah, I'm on my way. Thank you for calling me." </p><p>Frank turned off Tara's cellphone and put it in her jacket pocket. "He'll be here in a few minutes," he told them. "I'll stay with you guys until he arrives. Can't leave you two alone here, drunk."</p><p>Sure enough, a few minutes later, Luke arrived to their rescue. </p><p>"Alright, let's go home, kids." he joked.</p><p>As he held them up, Spencer moved towards him and whispered in Luke's ear, "I have a secret to tell, but don't tell Luke."</p><p>Luke chuckled. "What is it?"</p><p>"I like Luke." He whispered.</p><p>"Luke?" He asked, stunned.</p><p>Tara chuckled and nodded, saying, "Spencer likes Luuuuke." in a singsong voice.</p><p>Luke shook the thought away. </p><p>They were drunk! Drunk people say crazy stuff all the time! At least that was what Luke told himself.</p><p>After getting them into his house, they instantly fell asleep on his couch, Tara's head on Spencer's shoulder and Spencer's head facing the opposite direction.</p><p>Luke smiled at them and slid a blanket over them, letting them sleep until the next morning.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't ever forget what someone says to you while they're drunk, because drunk words are sober thoughts." -Unknown.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I was excited to write this haha. I hope you guys don't hate me for this. I haven't watched seasons 13-15, but I know that Luke has Lisa as a girlfriend in CM. I really liked writing Tara and Spencer's friendship. I think it's something we don't see much of, both on the show and in fanfiction.<br/>How did I do with these drunk scenes? I've done a lot of research about what makes people drunk and how many shots or cups, and how people act while drunk. I hope I depicted this correctly. Tell me guys what you thought!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Wrath of Grapes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, a Sunday, they both woke up with a raging hangover. Spencer winced as he sat up, feeling the pain in his head settle.</p><p>"Never again." He grunted as he got up.</p><p>Tara groaned, putting a hand to her stomach. "Shouldn't've drunk so much."</p><p>That's when Reid felt his mouth salivate. He gagged and ran to the bathroom to throw up. It wasn't long before Tara was throwing up before the trashcan.</p><p>Luke emerged from his room, having heard the noise, and after they were done retching all the alcohol from their systems, he grabbed a bottle of pills and two bottles of water from the fridge.</p><p>He gave it to them, and they gladly took it, chugging the water down after putting the Tylenol pills in their mouths.</p><p>"Two pills every 6 hours," Luke told them. "I made you guys overnight oats. I put in two bananas since you said that they help with hangovers. That really helped me out last time." He told Reid</p><p>He smiled and said, "Thank you for all of this."</p><p>"I'll get rid of  the trash bad. Sorry about that."</p><p>"It's fine," Luke said. "Anyway, what was the occasion? Dr. Reid never drinks."</p><p>"Umm . . ." Tara looked at Spencer and then back at Luke. She said, "special occasion."</p><p>'A sad one,' Reid thought.</p><p>"Well, whatever the occasion was, must've been a great excuse to drink."</p><p>"You have no idea," Tara said, going to the trashcan and going to take the trash out.</p><p>He didn't have any idea that it wasn't a special occasion, but rather a sad one, multiple sad ones to at least numb the pain for Dr. Reid, even if it was only for a moment.</p><p>When Tara got back, Luke said, "You guys should take a shower. It helps. You can grab some clothes out of my closet."</p><p>"You can go first, Spence," Tara said.</p><p>He began to protest, but finally, she convinced him. "Fine, I'll be quick. Less than five minutes."</p><p>As she heard the shower turn on, Tara turned to Luke and said, "He helped you out with a hangover?"</p><p>"Yeah, I crashed at his place after getting drunk that night we all went to the bar."</p><p>"And now you're helping him." She smiled.</p><p>Luke rolled his eyes, knowing where this was going. "I'm helping both of you."</p><p>"I should get out of here. I'm third-wheeling." Luke protested, and she continued. "Luke, I want you guys to work this all out and . . . become Ralvez."</p><p>Luke made a face. "The hell does that mean?"</p><p>Tara chuckled. "Ralvez. Your last names put together. It's like Brad and Angeline are Brangelina. Wow, I have spent way too much time with Garcia." Luke chuckled, and Tara kept going. "Ok, the point is Brad and Angelina are a couple. And Brangelina is their relationship name."</p><p>"Spencer and I are not together, and aren't they seperated now?"</p><p>She ignored his question and said, "All those nights video chatting, sleeping together, and you comforting him like that, beg to differ."</p><p>"Spencer told you?"</p><p>She nodded. "I think we were on the verge of getting drunk."</p><p>"Look, I'm with Lisa now."</p><p>"You like Spencer, and the only reason you're in a relationship now is to try and stop having those feelings for him. We both know it won't do you or Lisa any good."</p><p>Luke was speechless, and he couldn't deny it. She'd see through the lie. "How? How do you know all this?"</p><p>"I'm a profiler," she said, "and even if I weren't a profiler, I have two eyes. Not that hard to figure out. Well, at least not for me."</p><p>"You're as good as they get," Luke said. "You're good."</p><p>Tara chuckled. "Oh, I know, but don't go changing the subject on me again. Look, I want to see you both happy. You're my friends. Seeing you both so heartbroken because you have a girlfriend isn't doing any of you any good."</p><p>"Am I supposed to believe that he likes me too?"</p><p>"Yes. You are," Tara said. "It's the truth. Ain't nothin' but the truth."</p><p>Luke thought back to the day before when his friends were drunk. They had told him that Spencer liked him. Now, this? Could it possibly be true?</p><p>He was about to speak when Spencer came out of the bathroom, his hair damp from the water and slightly ruffled from combing through it with his hands. He was wearing Luke's clothes. They were a little too big on him, but it was the most adorable thing to Luke's eyes.</p><p>Spencer didn't seem to notice, but Luke was still staring at him, mouth slightly open. Tara cleared her throat, smiling when Luke broke away from the trance he was in, and said, "I'll leave you boys alone. Gotta take a shower."</p><p>Tara ruffled Spencer's hair on the way to the bathroom. </p><p>Luke had a sudden urge to play with Spencer's hair but pushed the thought away.</p><p>Instead, he grabbed the remote from his couch and said, "Wanna watch Star Wars?"</p><p>"Of course!" Spencer exclaimed, going to the couch while Luke turned on the TV.</p><p>They were less than halfway through an episode when Tara got out of the bathroom.</p><p>"Star Wars?" Tara asked as she got out of Luke's room. "Count me in."</p><p>"You like Star Wars?"</p><p>"Dr. Reid, you underestimate how much of a nerd I am," She joked, and Spencer chuckled at that.</p><p>Luke had his arm set on top of the couch, and when Reid leaned back in his seat, Luke wrapped his arm around his shoulder.</p><p>Soon Spencer fell asleep in Luke's arms, and Tara watched this unravel with a giant smile on her face.</p><p>"How long have I been asleep for?" Spencer asked as he woke up.</p><p>"Not long. Only ten minutes. You guys need to sleep. Your hangovers will end quicker."</p><p>"It's only 9 AM," Tara protested.</p><p>"I know. I've been up since 5, so I might take a nap right now. You guys should too." Luke said. "I can sleep here on the couch. You guys take my bed."</p><p>They began to protest, but Luke shut them down. "Come on, kids, go to your room." He joked.</p><p>Tara and Spencer couldn't help but laugh at that. That's when they budged and made their way to Luke's room. The mattress was the softest they ever had. Tara must've been on Roxy's spot because when she laid down, she smelled her on the sheets.</p><p>"No offense, Roxy." She said as she made a face. Roxy jumped up on the bed and positioned herself in between Spencer and Tara under the covers. "Alright, you can stay. You're too cute to say no to."</p><p>Spencer pet her while Tara looked at him. "You know, I shouldn't be here."</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"I mean that Luke should be here with you. I should be giving you guys privacy."</p><p>"We're not doing this again." He sighed, moving to face the opposite direction.</p><p>Tara sighed. "You have to stop ignoring it someday, Spence."</p><p>Spencer was snoring now. She could tell that he was awake by how exaggerated his snores were. "Ok, ok, I'll take a hint. Goodnight. Let's hope that sleep helps ease the wrath of those grapes."</p><p>Spencer chuckled at that. "Let's hope. Goodnight."</p><p> </p><p>"A hangover is the wrath of grapes." -Dorothy Parker</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I've been studying for finals, so I'm sorry this chapter is so late and crappy. I really love Tara and Spencer's friendship, so I decided to write more of them. I hope you guys like it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Cromwell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The following days, the team was on a case. It'd been their longest case in months, and it was eating them up that they couldn't figure it out.</p><p>Luke had been avoiding Spencer. He hadn't even shared a room with him for more than a week. The day they arrived at the hotel, Luke had decided to switch rooms, and now he was rooming with JJ and Spencer with Emily.</p><p>It'd all been so sudden. First, Luke had stopped calling him at night, then stopped talking to him at work and only said "hi" in passing, and now he wasn't even sharing a room with him while working on a case.</p><p>He was touch starved by him, and it was nearly impossible to focus on anything without Luke constantly inhibiting his mind.</p><p>"I heard about Luke's girlfriend," Emily said, and when Spencer didn't say anything, she continued, "She seems nice, don't you think?"</p><p>"Sure," He said, barely paying attention to her. He was writing on a board, trying to crack the case, but having no luck.</p><p>"Reid, take a break. You've been overworking yourself. Let's pick this up tomorrow with fresh eyes."</p><p>"Just five more minutes." He mumbled.</p><p>"Spence, you need to eat. You haven't eaten in hours."</p><p>"Eight hours and five minutes to be exact. Counting the seconds, twelve, thirteen, fourteen-"</p><p>"Alright, alright, I know you're a genius, but you have to take a break. Eat something, relax, get a goodnight's sleep, and we'll go back to the case tomorrow."</p><p>Spencer slumped in his seat and looked down at the ground. "What's wrong?" She asked him.</p><p>"Everything's wrong," she looked up at her. "I've been having nightmares most nights, I've been having panic attacks at random moments, my mom's just getting worse, and I don't know how to help her, Luke's avoiding me, and I can't figure this case out!" He shouted.</p><p>"You've been having panic attacks?" She asked in a small, worried voice.</p><p>Spencer looked down at the ground again, this time like he hadn't meant to say any of that. "Yeah. I've only told Tara about it while I was drunk I think."</p><p>"You got drunk?" She asked. "You never drink."</p><p>"I know, and I will never do it again after that awful hangover. Look, I don't want to talk about this. I'm going back to work."</p><p>"How long have you had the nightmares and panic attacks?" Spencer looked at her like he didn't want to answer the question, and Emily said, "Just answer me this, and I'll let you work."</p><p>"The nightmares since prison, and I just started having the panic attacks a few weeks ago."</p><p>"Reid. Have you thought about-"</p><p>"Therapy? Yeah. I've just got a lot on my plate. I don't have time for-"</p><p>"Taking care of yourself?" She asked. "Reid, you have to make time. I'll gladly give you some weeks off."</p><p>"Prentiss." He shook his head.</p><p>"Spence. You should visit your mom tomorrow. Take a break from the case. You need to see her more. And you need to take of yourself as well."</p><p>"On average, a person with Alzheimer's lives four to eight years after diagnosis. My mom's had it for 3. I just want her to be ok, but she's not, and I don't know what to do."</p><p>"There's nothing you can do but be there for her."</p><p>"I'm just scared. She doesn't know who I am most of the time, and her meds aren't working on her. It's just . . . a lot, and I don't know how to be there for her when she can't even remember who I am. It's just hard for me to face her each time. And when she's ok, I'm just hoping she stays like that all the time."</p><p>Emily sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. His was tense.</p><p>"I know I can't say or do anything to make this all ok. You're one of the bravest people I know Spencer. You've been through hell, and you need a break." She said. "After this case, take a few weeks off. You need it."</p><p>As he began to protest, Emily shushed him and told him that they needed to go to sleep to be well-rested for the case tomorrow.</p><p>The next day, they'd cracked the case and caught the unsub, and by 5 PM, Reid purchased a ticket to go to Las Vegas to see his mom, and the others went back to Quantico.</p><p>Now it was Saturday morning, and he was almost late for his flight. Taking a cab to the airport, which wasn't so far away, he called his mother's facility to tell them he was going to visit. They even put her on the phone and he smiled at her excitement to see him. </p><p>He hoped she kept on like that. He couldn't bear seeing her in a bad state.</p><p>As Spencer stepped into Diana's room, he saw she was reading "Cromwell" by Victor Hugo, sitting on her bed. </p><p>He smiled at the sight. "Hey, mom." He said softly, but loud enough so she could hear him.</p><p>She looked up in an instant, and said, "Oh, hi, sweetie. I didn't know you were coming."</p><p>He had to fight off a frown and fake a smile. He didn't say anything about the call.</p><p>"How's that friend of yours? I forgot his name."</p><p>"Luke?" He asked, surprised, and happy that she remembered from the last time she met him.</p><p>"Yes, yes, how is he?" She asked.</p><p>"Good, I think." He frowned at the thought that they hadn't talked in days. </p><p>"You think?" She asked, closing her book and taking her glasses off.</p><p>"He hasn't talked to me in a while," Spencer confessed.</p><p>"Why not?" She asked.</p><p>"I don't know. Tara told me that it's because he likes me, and he's trying to avoid me to stop liking me, but that's unlikely."</p><p>"Not as unlikely as you think."</p><p>"Oh, come on, mom, not you too! You don't even know him."</p><p>"From what you've told me, I have." She said, motioning to the letters he had sent her. "I've reread a few times, I think. That's what the lady said."</p><p>Her caretaker had told Spencer that Diana had thrown the letters out, but she knew that Diana would regret it, so she put them back on her desk.</p><p>"Will you read to me, mom?" Spencer asked, moving from the subject. He didn't want to talk about Luke anymore. He didn't want to think about him either.</p><p>She smiled at that, not lingering on the subject. She probably forgot what they were talking about, but Spencer pushed the thought away as he didn't want to be saddened by the thought. He wanted to live in the moment while his mother read him a book that she had read to him many times as a child. Spencer could still recite it from memory.</p><p>"Of course," She said, picking up her glasses and opening up her book to the page she was at.</p><p>Spencer sat down next to her on the bed, and as she started reading, he rested his head on her shoulder, letting her soothing voice calm him to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>“A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.” —Victor Hugo</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I took a break since I didn't know how to continue, but I'm back at it! Stay tuned for the next chapter :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Letters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ever since her doctors changed her medication, Diana hadn't forgotten him, thank God. Meanwhile, Spencer was still having nightmares most nights. It was daunting having those types of dreams every night. He was thinking about therapy. Maybe Luke and Emily were right. </p><p>It was a Saturday when Spencer was having the same dream as all the other restless nights before.</p><p>He woke up in a sweat, tears streaming down his face. He gasped for breath, desperately trying to fill his lungs with air. When his breathing went back to normal, he ran his hands through his hair.</p><p>"Spencer?" He heard his mom say.</p><p>"I'm sorry." He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I had a bad dream. Go back to sleep, mom."</p><p>She got up. "You know, whenever you had nightmares, you would always run to our room, and you'd sleep with us. Sometimes you asked me to read you a book, and then you fell asleep in my arms. You remember that?"</p><p>He was glad she remembered, and of course, with his eidetic memory, he could remember. "Yeah, I do."</p><p>Diana turned on the lamp on the nightstand and picked out a random book from the bookshelf. She went towards him and said, "Scoot over," and so he did.</p><p>It seemed so childish of his mother to comfort him after a bad dream, but he found that he liked it. These were the moments Spencer had to keep close to his heart because soon he wouldn't have them, however soon that may be. Ten years, five, something could happen between today and tomorrow, and he would regret all the time he didn't spend with her, as painful as that sounded. Not to mention the little time people with Alzheimer's have since the first sign of the disease.</p><p>He pushed these thoughts away. He needed to focus on the positive. He was here with his mother, spending time with her for the week. That's what mattered.</p><p>His mother's soothing voice and the sound of the pages turning made him fall asleep quicker than he'd ever fallen asleep since prison. Most nights, he laid in bed. Ten minutes passed, then twenty, and the next thing he knew, it was an hour later. He finally fell asleep with the thoughts that were spiraling in his head. Then he'd wake up in a sweat from a nightmare like tonight and the night before. </p><p>He'd only been sleeping three hours, four hours max every night. He knew this wasn't healthy and that he needed to seek help. Professional help. He knew this, but he couldn't bring himself to. He had a lot on his plate, and while therapy would help him, he didn't want to feel vulnerable in front of a complete stranger. He knew they were trained professionals, but the idea of opening up to someone that he didn't know made him feel anxious. He'd have to admit all his troubles, and he didn't feel like doing that.</p><p>The next day, Spencer was eating some Chinese food with his mom, while playing a game of chess, which he let her win.</p><p>Diana's caretaker, Miranda, came into the room carrying an envelope. "Dr. Reid, I have a letter for you."</p><p>He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Who would be sending him letters?</p><p>He took it and said, "Thank you, Miranda."</p><p>He turned the envelope around and scribbled in cursive were the words "From Luke Alvez. To: Spencer Reid."</p><p>He hastily ripped it open and unfolded the piece of paper inside it. </p><p>Dear Spencer,<br/>Emily told me you were in Nevada with your mom. How is she? I'm hoping she's ok. I'm hoping you're ok. <br/>I know this is a cheesy thing to do, writing you a letter, and way slower than texting, but I wanted to make your day a little brighter if it wasn't already. I know how tough it can get with your mom, and I just wanted to make you feel better. Plus, now I can practice my penmanship.<br/>I'd like to learn some new statistics while you're away if you want to write back. I find them very interesting, regardless of what anybody says.<br/>I'm looking forward to your response.<br/>-Sincerely, Luke.</p><p>Spencer felt giddy inside with a grin plastered on his face. Luke, of all people, went out of his way to send him a letter. He couldn't believe it.</p><p>Nobody from the team would ever do that. They'd never done anything like this, and he began to wonder if there was somehow a romantic subtext buried in the motive of writing this letter. It seemed unlikely, though.</p><p>His mother's voice broke him away from his thoughts. "I haven't seen you smile this big since you got your acceptance letter to that school. You were running around the house, screaming, 'I got in' over and over again." She smiled at the memory. "I'm pretty sure the whole block knew you were going to CalTech."</p><p>He smiled at the memory, more so at the fact that she remembered that moment, and said, "It's just Luke. He sent me a letter."</p><p>At this, Diana's eyebrows quirked up, and a small smile began to form. "A letter?"</p><p>"Yes, mom, and before you say anything about him liking me, he does not. How could he ever like someone like me?"</p><p>She sighed and sat beside him on the bed. "Spencer, you are the most brilliant young man I've ever seen, and I'm not just saying this because you're my son. I'm saying this because it's the truth. In fact, if you weren't my son, I'd still be amazed by you. And not just because of your brain. You're so much more than that. You are loyal, selfless, generous, the best son in the world. Any person would be so lucky to have you in their life. Especially Luke. That man is a gem from the way you've described him. He seems to be fond of you. Very fond of you. If you just look at the sparkle in his eye when he looks at you, you'll just know. And if you let yourself believe the truth, you'll know."</p><p>"He has a girlfriend." He responded, "He was avoiding me, and even switched rooms with JJ. So why did he write me a letter as if everything's alright?"</p><p>"Men do the weirdest things. They're dumb." She said. "I think you know deep down that he likes you but don't want to admit it."</p><p>"What? So I'm dumb too?"</p><p>"You're such a bright kid, Spencer. You know everything there is to know about every subject in the world. It's quite the opposite when it comes to romantic feelings. You don't let yourself believe that he likes you, even when all the signs are there."</p><p>Spencer stayed silent, and Diana continued, "You know, a letter is so much more intimate than a text. He must really like you if he wrote you a handwritten letter."</p><p>"I write you letters," Spencer said.</p><p>"That's because I don't have a phone." She told him. "Now go write back to him. He's waiting."</p><p>Spencer smiled and nodded. </p><p>He took an hour to gather his thoughts and crumbled page after page, trying to get it all right. When he finally had the perfect letter, he signed his name, put it in an envelope, and took a trip down to the nearest post office, which was twenty minutes away from the facility.</p><p>It was closed, so he googled another post office, and the nearest one was an hour away from there. He decided to go back and call him.</p><p>When Luke responded with a very enthusiastic, "Hey Spence," Spencer said, "I got your letter. Thanks for sending it. I couldn't mail you the letter I wrote. The post office was having some problems, and the only one other than that is more than an hour away."</p><p>"That's ok. I'm glad you called."</p><p>"Well, I'm glad you sent that letter," He said. "To answer your questions, my mom's been having her good days and bad days. They've been switching her meds since the ones that she was taking weren't working. The new ones seem to be working on her."</p><p>"That's good. I'm glad, Spence," He said. "How are you?"</p><p>"I'm ok." </p><p>"That's good."</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>"So about those statistics?" Luke asked.</p><p>"You really want to hear me ramble on about random statistics?"</p><p>"Of course I do." He said. "Why wouldn't I?"</p><p>"Because they're boring. That's what everyone says."</p><p>"I like hearing your voice," he wanted to say, but that didn't sound like something just a 'friend' would say, so instead, he said, "I find them interesting." which filled Spencer with joy.</p><p>"Ok," He thought about something interesting to say, and he went with, "One-third of adults still sleep with a comfort object."</p><p>"Wait, really?" Luke said, and Spencer was surprised to hear how genuinely interested he seemed in what he was saying.</p><p>"Yeah, a study reported that 34 percent of adults still sleep with a stuffed animal, blanket, or any other sentimental object."</p><p>"Do you?" Luke asked him.</p><p>Spencer stayed silent for a moment contemplating whether he should tell him or not, and he finally spoke up. "I had this blue blanket when I was little that my mom gave to me. It got lost when I was in my 20's, and I never saw it again. I kept it all those years because it reminded me of her." He said. "Now you get to share something embarrassing."</p><p>"It's not embarrassing. I get it. It was something that reminded you of your mom, so you wanted to keep it close. That's not embarrassing." Luke said. "I've never had anything like that. Since I was in the army, I don't really have much stuff. I mostly travel lightly. The thing closest to that was when I was eight. I had a race car bed, and I would pretend that I was driving. My mom got rid of it when I was twelve, saying I was too old for that bed. It made me so mad, but eventually, I got over it."</p><p>He imagined young Luke in his car bed, 'driving' around, and smiled at the thought.</p><p>Just then, Diana called Reid. "Someone's attacking me!"</p><p>"I've got to go, sorry." He quickly pressed the end call button and went to see what was going on.</p><p>As he entered the living room, he saw his mother cowering behind the couch, screaming, "She's trying to kill me. She's stalking me. I've seen her."</p><p>"No, mom, she's just here to give you your medicine. She's your caretaker, remember?"</p><p>"No, that's poison. She's going to kill me. Spencer, don't let her kill me." She cried.</p><p>"Mom, she's not trying to kill you, I promise. She's here to help you." He said, his voice trembling and tears prickling his eyes.</p><p>"Are you sure?" She stared intently at him.</p><p>"Yes, mom, she's only here to help." He repeated, taking a step towards her and helping her up. "These pills help you get better."</p><p>She finally stood up from behind the couch with Spencer's help and went over to Miranda.</p><p>She looked at Spencer, and he nodded to tell her it was all ok. She took the pills from the bottle and swallowed them with water.</p><p>"I feel exhausted. I'm going to bed." She told Spencer.</p><p>He apologized to Miranda and quickly excused himself to take his mother to her room.</p><p>Once she was tucked in bed, she looked at her son and saw the tears glistening in his eyes.</p><p>"What's gotten you so down?" She asked, likely forgetting what had happened with Mirada.</p><p>He quickly wiped his eyes and said, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."</p><p>"C'mon," she said as she scooted in her bed, and he climbed in. She soothed him to sleep for the second night in a row, and he wished the week would never end.</p><p> </p><p>To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.<br/>–Phyllis Theroux</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I first wanted to write them having an awkward conversation through the phone, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to write such fluff between them. <br/>I posted a Ralvez spread on Instagram and Tumblr. One is about my favorite fic, "Touch Therapy.' by FoggyBlues. Here are the links. https://www.instagram.com/p/CJzkpC9HGPa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link https://www.instagram.com/p/CJrOYBBnUM4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link<br/>I have also made some other spreads, including Raeve and Tyrus. Stay tuned for some more collages and more chapters to this fic. I've been pretty stumped writing these chapters even when I was on break from school, so sorry about that. Writer's block is the worst. Anyway, I hope you like the spreads I made, and I hope you like this chapter. :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Sleepover</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Spencer was woken up by the sound of his phone buzzing with a notification, which he could only assume was the BAU with another case.</p>
<p>He had assumed correctly as he looked at his phone on the nightstand beside him. He groaned as he got out of bed in the coldness of his apartment.</p>
<p>Spencer Reid was not a morning person, so his lack of joy was very much anticipated.</p>
<p>He was looking forward to a cup of warm coffee to feel the dopamine rush he needed, but as he searched his cabinet, he found that there was none left. He must've run out just before he left for the case, which was more than a week ago by now. He would have to survive off of BAU coffee, which was better than nothing. He disguised the flavor with loads of sugar, and he found it was helpful to wake himself up a bit.</p>
<p>He had a quick shower, put on some clothes, and he was out the door just in time to catch the train at 8:30. </p>
<p>The train was one of the safest means of transportation. It was second on the list of the safest ways of transportation, with planes being number one and trains and buses being number two.</p>
<p>He had once discussed it among his colleagues while in the jet, and he found Luke was paying the most attention, eyes not leaving his for a second, with a slight smile on his lips and nodding to show he was listening.</p>
<p>"That's why I prefer to travel by train." He had said.</p>
<p>"That's really interesting," Luke said. "Where do cars fall at?"</p>
<p>"Ah, cars are just above motorcycles, which is the most dangerous way of travel with 212.57 deaths per billion passenger miles traveled. It's more likely to crash while driving than when riding in planes. Car crashes happen every day, while airplane crashes are less likely to happen, but when they do, the impact is catastrophic, killing more people at once."</p>
<p>Even as he gave that unsettling statistic, Luke was still fascinated by him and his brain. That's what he told Spencer after he finished talking, and Spencer had to hide his face as his cheeks flushed red.</p>
<p>He noticed the flickering lights as he got into the elevator and was reminded of when he was in jail. Throughout most of his prison sentence, the cellblock lights were always flickering.</p>
<p>He decided to take the stairs. It was beneficial for his health anyway, and he wasn't in any hurry.</p>
<p>A few flights of stairs later, he was standing in front of his colleagues and friends with a big grin on his face as he saw Garcia gaping at him with excitement.</p>
<p>"You're back!" She said. "Wonderboy is back, everyone!" She went to Spencer and hugged him. "We missed you." </p>
<p>"We really did, man. Glad you're back." Luke said, putting a hand on his shoulder.</p>
<p>"I missed you guys too," Spencer told them. "Good to be back."</p>
<p>"I bought donuts," Penelope said as she pulled away.</p>
<p>"Did you buy chocolate with sprinkles?" He asked, hopefully.</p>
<p>"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" She said, opening the box.</p>
<p>Spencer grabbed the last donut and took a bite out of it.</p>
<p>"You really do love me," Spencer told Garcia after he finished the bite.</p>
<p>"Of course I do, baby genius." She grinned at him, pulling him in for another hug. Smiling, Spencer hugged back, and he thought about how he was so grateful to have her as a close friend.</p>
<p>"Spence. It's nice seeing you back." He was greeted by Prentiss, who jogged over to give him a hug after Penelope pulled away.</p>
<p>"Thank you, Emily." He said.</p>
<p>"While I do love that you're back, celebration time is over." She lifted the file that was in her hand. "We have another case." </p>
<p>After the meeting, the team had learned that the unsub was killing white males in their early thirties. </p>
<p>It was a Virginia case, so they didn't have to travel far.</p>
<p>It was nearly midnight when Emily told them that they should go home to get a good night's sleep. They would have fresh eyes to review the evidence in the morning.</p>
<p>Spencer packed everything up in his messenger bag and walked to the elevator. Luke jogged over to him just in time for the doors to close when he went in, and the lights flickered again.</p>
<p>Prentiss said she would call someone to fix it. She didn't. It was understandable, though, since the day was so busy.</p>
<p>Luke pressed the first-floor button, and the elevator started moving, but then it shuttered, and then nothing.</p>
<p>They looked at each other, and Luke tried to open the doors. He managed to get a crack open. "We're stuck between floors."</p>
<p>Spencer could see it now, clear as day. He was back in prison, back in that small cell he had been in for what seemed like forever. </p>
<p>He could feel his heart racing, tears stinging his eyes. He was short on breath. Closing his eyes, he tried to remain calm, telling himself that he wasn't in prison anymore. Nothing could hurt him. He was safe with Luke.</p>
<p>"Reid?" Luke asked, noticing the state he was in. Spencer opened his eyes, and Luke kept talking, "Spence, hey, I'm here. You're here with me. You're safe. You're not in prison. You're safe with me."</p>
<p>Spencer continued to hyperventilate, and he stumbled backward into the wall and gripped the railings behind him, shutting his eyes as if this was going to help his state. </p>
<p>"Try breathing with me. Ok? You can get through this, Spencer." Luke started breathing in and out. "You're safe at the BAU. You're not in prison anymore. You're safe. Breathe in and out with me, ok?"</p>
<p>Spencer's breath was getting slower and less ragged as he tried breathing slowly in and out with Luke.</p>
<p>"You're doing so good, Spence. Breathe in and out with me. Ok?" He kept on breathing in and out, and it seemed to work for Reid. "You're safe." He kept assuring him.</p>
<p>It took Spencer a couple of minutes before he was able to breathe normally, and he was back to reality, but at this point, he was exhausted from the strenuousness of it all.</p>
<p>Spencer dove in for a hug, which stunned Luke, but quickly recovered by embracing the younger man for a much-needed hug from both their ends, rubbing along his back.</p>
<p>"Thank you. I'm sorry I-"</p>
<p>"It's not your fault, Spence." He said, breathing in his scent. He still smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. </p>
<p>"Thank you," Spencer repeated, closing his eyes, soaking the moment in.</p>
<p>He suddenly felt sleepy, his eyes droopy, and he thought he would fall asleep right then and there if it weren't for Luke pulling back.</p>
<p>They heard a noise, and the elevator started moving again. The doors opened, and Emily was there.</p>
<p>"Guys! Oh, God. I am so sorry about this. I will get this elevator fixed as soon as possible. Those lights too." Emily told them as they got out of the elevator. "Really, I am so sorry."</p>
<p>They assured her everything was alright and slid past her, wanting to get home.</p>
<p>As they went outside, Spencer asked Luke, "How did you know that I was having flashbacks?"</p>
<p>"When I got back from the war, I would have flashbacks, which would lead to having panic attacks. I know it's a scary thing, but you can get through it with time and help."</p>
<p>"Thank you, Luke. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't there to help me through it. I can't thank you enough."</p>
<p>"You don't have to thank me, Spencer. I'm glad you weren't alone to face that. I've gone through that, and it's absolute hell." </p>
<p>Luke's phone pinged. He read the message he was sent and said. "Crap, I have to go. It's date night. I promised Lisa whenever I came home, we'd have a date."</p>
<p>"Sounds fun." Spencer forced a smile, but Luke didn't notice.</p>
<p>"You know what? I should cancel. You just had a panic attack and-"</p>
<p>"What? No. You go on your date."</p>
<p>"But you-"</p>
<p>"I'll be fine, Luke. I promise. I'm fine."</p>
<p>Luke was still not convinced, but nonetheless nodded. "See you tomorrow."</p>
<p>"Bye, Luke." He said.</p>
<p>As he watched him leave, Tara's voice sounded behind him. "You want a ride?" </p>
<p>Turning around, Spencer smiled at her. "Yes. Thank you." </p>
<p>He didn't want to go to the train station so late at night, though he had done that on a few occasions when he didn't have a ride.</p>
<p>They got into her car, and Spencer closed his eyes, sitting back in his seat.</p>
<p>"Everything ok with Alvez?" She asked.</p>
<p>He opened his eyes but stayed leaning back. He hesitated before telling her all about his situation with Luke. "He avoided me for some time, and then he sent me a letter while I was away, so I don't know. He's talking to me like normal again. He's so confusing."</p>
<p>"You want to know what I think? I think by avoiding you, he thought his feelings would go away, and he realized that wasn't helping and that he missed you, so he went back to talking to you like normal."</p>
<p>"He has a date with Lisa." He said as if that was an excuse for Luke not reciprocating.</p>
<p>"That doesn't mean anything, you know?" She noticed him close his eyes again, not wanting to talk about the subject, and he was grateful she didn't push.</p>
<p>"You look tired." She noted, and Spencer looked at her. "More than usual."</p>
<p>"Yeah, I uh had a panic attack." He said.</p>
<p>Tara looked over at him with a questioning look, but before she could say anything else, Spencer said, "Luke and I got stuck in the elevator for a few minutes, and I had a flashback. It felt so much like prison with the flickering lights on top of being stuck in that confined space. It was like I was back there again, and suddenly I couldn't breathe. Luke helped me through it. I don't know what I would've done if he wasn't there to help me."</p>
<p>Tara pulled over at the side of the road and turned to him, worried. "Reid. How long has this been happening?"</p>
<p>"Since prison." He said in a small voice, looking down as he tapped his fingers on his leg.</p>
<p>"Almost a year-"</p>
<p>"Actually, a year, two months, and five days." He looked up, and when Tara's eyes bulged out, he said, "Sorry, that's not helping."</p>
<p>"Have you gone to see a therapist?" </p>
<p>"No. Luke and Emily recommended I see one-"</p>
<p>"And they're right. Look, I've never been in your shoes, but I know you need help. Professional help so this kind of stuff doesn't happen." Tara said. "I care about you, Spencer. So much. You're one of my best friends, and it hurts to see you like this."</p>
<p>"I'll think about it some more. I promise." He said.</p>
<p>"Pinky promise?" She held out her pinky finger.</p>
<p>Spencer smiled because it was such a childish thing to do. "Pinky promise." He said, latching his pinky onto hers.</p>
<p>"Alright, it's getting late." She started driving again and, after a few minutes, turned left.</p>
<p>Spencer furrowed his eyebrows, confused, "My house is to the right."</p>
<p>"I know. You're going to stay at my house." She said, nonchalantly.</p>
<p>"What? No, Tara, I don't want to bother you."</p>
<p>"You're not bothering. I asked. It'll be fun. We can have a sleepover. Even if it's just talking, it'll be fun. I have some herbal tea and some weighted blankets I can give you to make you fall asleep faster."</p>
<p>"Thank you. I'm so thankful to have a friend like you." </p>
<p>She smiled. "I am too."</p>
<p>She pulled into her driveway a few minutes later, and they went inside the house.</p>
<p>He'd never been inside her house before. While it was no mansion à la Rossi, it was still pretty big for one person with everything neatly in its place.</p>
<p>He was drawn to the bookshelves, two on each side of the TV. There were a few books about psychology and a bunch of others in German and French.</p>
<p>He picked out a book that was in German called "Dienstags bei Morrie" meaning "Tuesdays with Morrie."</p>
<p>He read it all the way through as he awaited Tara's return from the bathroom.</p>
<p>As she came back, he said, "I read this book in English a few years back when I went to a bookstore in Nevada, but I've got to say reading it in its original language is a different experience in itself." </p>
<p>"Yeah, it's a pretty good book. I actually went to Germany with my dad one summer when I bought that book. We've been planning on going to France as well, but with this job . . . well it's not exactly conventional." </p>
<p>"Yeah, I get it." He said. "I've been wanting to take my mom to Paris since she's always wanted to go there, but she's scared of airplanes, and this job doesn't make it so easy to have vacations."</p>
<p>She agreed with him and said, "It's getting pretty late, and tomorrow we'll have to wake up pretty early in the morning for the case. I only have my room, and I am not letting you sleep on the couch."</p>
<p>Spencer knew not to argue with her since she always ended up winning with little arguments like these, so he said, "You're the boss."</p>
<p>"Hell yeah, I am," Tara said, to which Spencer chuckled.</p>
<p>After doing their nightly rituals, Spencer didn't want the night to end, so he said, "I'm not really sleepy yet, just tired."</p>
<p>She thought about something to do, and then he went to her nightstand. </p>
<p>"You up for this?" She asked, holding up a black nail polish bottle. "It's the only one I have since I don't use much of it."</p>
<p>He agreed, and Tara handed him the TV remote. "We can watch whatever you want." </p>
<p>"There's this new documentary on Netflix about wild animals that I haven't seen yet. It follows the story of five young animals as they navigate through life and learn how to survive and how to recognize danger."</p>
<p>Tara smiled at the enthusiasm in his voice and facial expressions.</p>
<p>"Put it on, then," she said, and he did.</p>
<p>A few minutes into the documentary, Spencer's phone rang on the other side of the room.</p>
<p>'Oh, great. Another case.' He thought.</p>
<p>Tara got up to give it to him and smiled as she saw the caller ID name. She showed it to Spencer and said, "Loverboy."</p>
<p>Spencer's cheeks turned a shade of pink, and she put his phone right next to him. She said, "I'll be in the kitchen making tea." and left to give him privacy.</p>
<p>He pushed the green button on the screen.</p>
<p>"Hey, just wanted to check-in. Everything all right?" Luke asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah. I'm just exhausted. I'm staying at Tara's for the night. We're having a sleepover."</p>
<p>"You gonna talk about some cute guys and girls?"</p>
<p>Spencer chuckled at that. "Oh, definitely. She just gave me a mani-pedi, actually. We're doing the whole teenage sleepover experience."</p>
<p>Luke chuckled into the phone and said, "Maybe you can tell me about it tomorrow during class if Ms. Prentiss doesn't catch us talking during her lessons."</p>
<p>Spencer played into it, saying, "Ah, dancing with danger, are we? She will certainly give us detention if she catches us." </p>
<p>"Worth it," Luke said, and Spencer couldn't stop himself from grinning like an idiot. "Well, I just wanted to check in, see how you were doing. I'll let you get back to it."</p>
<p>Spencer bit his lip and closed his eyes, not wanting the call to end. He wanted to keep him on the phone, but as much as he wanted to fall asleep to his soothing voice, he knew he couldn't.</p>
<p>"Thank you, Luke." He whispered. "Goodnight."</p>
<p>"Goodnight, Spencer," Luke whispered, and then the call ended.</p>
<p>"As hard as it is and as tired as I am, I force myself to get dinner at least once a week with my girlfriends, or have a sleepover. Otherwise my life is just work." ~ Jennifer Lawrence</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fun fact, I don't like sprinkles. I hate them on donuts, on ice cream, on anything you can put sprinkles on. Don't know what it is about it, but I just don't. <br/>I really loved writing these friendships. They are so wholesome, and I just want more friendship scenes between Tara and Spencer on the show.<br/>This chapter is almost 3,000 words! My longest chapter yet! I spent so much time writing it. I'm super proud of it. Tell me guys what you thought! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Romantic Stroll</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Spencer and Luke take a romantic stroll in the woods after Lisa forgot Luke's birthday.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tara drove Spencer to work the following day. He had borrowed a cardigan from Tara, which she'd never worn before.</p><p>He was sitting down at his desk now, reviewing dozens of letters in Russian of yet another case they had. The envelopes were addressed to the victims and sealed with a gold wax seal. The letters were in cursive, but he could still decipher the words.</p><p>He noticed Luke walk up to his desk.</p><p>"Is that a new cardigan?" He asked.</p><p>Spencer looked up from his work. "Yeah, it's Tara's. She let me have it since she's never worn it."</p><p>He nodded. "I mean, I can see why. It kind of makes you look like a grandpa."</p><p>They both chuckled at that, and Luke, in all seriousness, asked, "So, how are you doing after yesterday?"</p><p>"I'm ok." He said. "Better. Thank you again. If you hadn't been there . . ."</p><p>"I'm glad I could help you, Spence." He told him. "If you need anything, I'm here. Always."</p><p>Spencer nodded, and as he was about to leave, he said, "Actually, there is something."</p><p>He turned around to face him and said, "What is it?"</p><p>"A cup of coffee, please?" He smiled, and Luke couldn't say no to that adorable face.</p><p>"On it, doc," Luke said, grabbing the mug from his desk and going to the kitchen.</p><p>He was pouring the leftover coffee from the coffee pot into Spencer's cup when a mug right beside him caught his eye. It had a note saying, "Happy Birthday" with a smiley face below it.</p><p>He smiled, taking the note off to reveal a Star Wars theme. It had some of the characters animated, including Yoda, Luke Skywalker, and a few other main characters. In the middle of them stood an animated Luke wearing a Jedi costume, and on the side of the mug was Luke's name.</p><p>He was gaping at his present, stunned at the thought-out gift. He looked at Spencer, who was trying to fight back a smile of his own, looking at the letters on his desk.</p><p>He grabbed Spencer's cup, replacing its place with his new mug, and once it was filled with coffee, he returned to Spencer's desk.</p><p>"A customized Star Wars mug?" He said as he arrived at Spencer's desk.</p><p>He turned to face Luke, not even trying to hide his smile anymore. "I don't know what you're talking about."</p><p>"This is the best present ever. I mean, I'm on here! You even put my name on it. Thank you, man. I will treasure this forever."</p><p>Spencer smiled at Luke's amusement. "Happy Birthday, Luke."</p><p>"Thank you," He said, and Spencer took his mug full of sugared coffee from the desk. Luke looked down at Spencer's hands and noticed he had nail polish on his nails.</p><p>Spencer noticed this, looking at his own hands and back at Luke. He said, "Tara actually painted them. I wasn't kidding about those Mani-pedis."</p><p>Luke didn't know why but he felt giddy about it. Of course, everything about Spencer Reid made him feel that way. Spencer surprising him with a customized Star Wars mug made him feel giddy. Spencer wearing a cardigan that made him look like a grandpa made him giddy. And Spencer wearing nail polish made him even giddier than he'd like to admit.</p><p>Something about the boldness of Spencer Reid rocking black polish seemed so attractive to Luke.</p><p>"So, about your sleepover with Tara?" He asked, relaxing and leaning over to sit at the edge of his desk.</p><p>Spencer perked up at this, saying, "It was fun! We actually watched a documentary about wild animals, and then we talked about a book we read in German."</p><p>"Ah, so you've got your own book club? Sounds fun, I might join." He took a sip of his coffee.</p><p>Spencer smiled. "That'd be great. Then you can join us on some more sleepovers. I can loan you the English version of the book we read if you want."</p><p>"That'd be great." Luke beamed.</p><p>The trance was broken when Prentiss turned up in front of Reid's desk. "Alvez, Reid. Can you come into my office, please?"</p><p>They looked at each other and then back at Prentiss, nodding, and she walked ahead of them.</p><p>"We're getting detention," Luke said in a singsongy voice, and Spencer couldn't help but chuckle at that. He was glad to have an inside joke with the man.</p><p>"And it's all your fault." He whispered back with a smile.</p><p>Luke shook his head, chuckling.</p><p>They went into Emily's office. "I've got a box full of letters that are in Latin, and I know you've still got the Russian letters, so could you start them off?" She asked Luke. "Whenever you finish, Reid, you can help Luke with these."</p><p>"On it, boss." Said Luke, grabbing the box from her desk.</p><p>They were just about to shut the door on their way out when Prentiss said, "Oh, and guys? Stop flirting so much and start working more," with a smirk on her face, and when she saw their facial expressions, she almost felt bad for saying that.</p><p>Almost.</p><p>They went back, Spencer to his own desk, and Luke to his, both remaining in their seats for the rest of the day to avoid the awkwardness as they worked.</p><p>The next day, Garcia went up to Luke, which caught Spencer's attention.</p><p>"Did you and Roxy like the sweaters I knit you?" She asked.</p><p>"Yeah, we loved it! Thanks, Garcia."</p><p>She smiled and then asked, "What'd Lisa get you?"</p><p>He raised his eyebrows at the sudden question and turned to his work, casually saying, "She kind of forgot my birthday, but that's no big deal. She's been super busy with work, I get it."</p><p>"We all remembered your birthday. That is no excuse." Penelope said.</p><p>Luke turned to look at her. "That's because Reid has an eidetic memory, and you shouted it from the rooftops, so everybody knew."</p><p>"Still! That is no excuse to forget your boyfriend's birthday. I am going to knit you a hat now to make up for it."</p><p>"You really don't have to," Luke said.</p><p>"I know, but I will anyway." She turned to Reid and said, "I'm going to knit you one as well. Goodbye, my furry friends. Off to my lair, I go." And before they could say anything, she walked away.</p><p>"That girl is a force to be reckoned with," Luke said.</p><p>Spencer agreed and asked, "Hey, is it ok if we go to the woods with Roxy? I haven't seen her in a while."</p><p>Luke smiled at that. "A walk sounds nice."</p><p>After work, Luke drove to Janie's apartment, which was next to his, and thanked her for her dog-sitting service.</p><p>When the German Shephard hopped into the back seat of Luke's car, Spencer turned to pet her. "Roxy! Oh my god, I haven't seen you in so long."</p><p>Luke smiled at how adorable Spencer looked, petting Roxy and praising her just for being her.</p><p>"You only wanted to hang out with me just to see my dog, didn't you?" Luke asked.</p><p>"Is it that obvious?" Spencer joked, his smile widening.</p><p>Luke laughed at the comment, and he didn't want to be anywhere else than with him at that moment. Even if he was only there for his dog.</p><p>As they approached the woods where they had once run, Luke put the car in park. They got out of the car and walked into the woods with Roxy by their side.</p><p>"It's pretty good weather for a run, huh?" Luke asked. </p><p>"No, it is not. I know yesterday was your birthday, but I'm still suffering the consequences from last time." He joked.</p><p>Luke smiled and said, "Fine, I won't put you through the misery of running."</p><p>They walked in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, occasionally stealing glances at each other.</p><p>"Last Sunday, I found this bridge while I was running," Luke suddenly said, "You wanna go?"</p><p>"Of course." Spencer grinned..</p><p>As they got to the bridge, they saw that it had names carved all over. There were even names carved on some trees.</p><p>"Carving into a tree can actually damage and even kill a tree since it hinders the tree's ability to absorb the essential nutrients it needs to stay healthy." Spencer rambled.</p><p>"Isn't it illegal to do that?" Luke asked.</p><p>"Yes, and it's been illegal in all national rainforests. You know, if you really think about it, it's like if you were carving into human skin. It can easily be injured."</p><p>Luke made a face, "I'd rather not be thinking about that at all."</p><p>Spencer frowned. "Sorry."</p><p>"No, it's fine." He assured. "I like it when you ramble. It's just I'd rather not be thinking about cutting into human skin."</p><p>Spencer nodded, and Luke asked, "Can you tell me some fun facts?"</p><p>Spencer thought for a bit and then said, "The average male gets bored of shopping trips after 26 minutes."</p><p>Luke smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like me. Lisa's dragged to the mall so many times, and all I want to do is get out of there."</p><p>At the mention of Lisa, Spencer's face dropped, but Luke didn't notice. "How are things between you two?"</p><p>"Things are ok." Spencer raised his eyebrows at his statement. "Ok, they're not. It's been a rocky road. We haven't been on the same page with most things. Then little things just set her off, and then we end up fighting. She doesn't listen to what I have to say, and it's so frustrating getting through to her."</p><p>"Sounds like you deserve better," Reid said.</p><p>Luke wanted better. Spencer was better. Spencer was the only one that Luke wanted, but he definitely didn't deserve the genius. At least that's what Luke thought. The man was just too good for him. Too kind, too... Spencer Reid.</p><p>He was one of a kind, and that's what Luke loved about him. He'd always start rambling, his eyes glistening as he talked, his voice getting higher, and his smile getting wider even if he was talking about something serious. The genius was always passionate about what he talked about, and Luke enjoyed listening to him. He could talk for hours, and Luke wouldn't get tired of it. And he wanted Spencer to know that because he deserved that and so much more.</p><p>In the distance, Spencer could see a shooting star in the night sky.</p><p>Luke saw and nudged Spencer's shoulder and said, "Make a wish."</p><p>Spencer leaned into him, their elbows touching, and closed his eyes. He made a wish, though he didn't believe that wishes came true with shooting stars. It was all mere coincidence if they did come true.</p><p>After wishing upon the star, they sat down on the grass, watching the sky darken, Luke, looking at Spencer, doting on his presence as he sat there next to him.</p><p>Luke didn't realize how close they were to each other until Spencer turned to face him, their faces inches apart, and Luke could swear that Spencer had glanced down at his lips.</p><p>Spencer was first to break eye contact, blushing as he did so and looking at anything else but Luke.</p><p>There was a moment of silence as they looked ahead at the darkening sky, and Luke was surprised that it was already significantly darker than just a few moments earlier.</p><p>"Thank you for this," Luke said after a while.</p><p>Spencer looked at him with a meaningful look on his face and said, "I'd do anything for you, Luke." and the way he said it made Luke's insides turn to mush. He wanted oh so badly to lean in for a kiss and hold him in his arms and feel his breathing as he laid there on his chest until they fell asleep.</p><p>They both wanted it, though neither let each other know.</p><p>They basked in the glory of each other's presence as the day faded away, and in the back of his mind Luke recalled the date he had planned with Lisa for the day, but he didn't move an inch.</p><p>Instead, he stole another glance at Spencer, and he knew he wouldn't have wanted this day to go any other way.</p><p>"Let's take our hearts for a walk in the woods and listen to the magic whispers of old trees. . . " -Unknown.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Luke's birthday is April 2nd in this fic. I couldn't find his birthday, so I went along with Adam's. Tell me what you guys thought! Sorry if I don't respond! I'm so bad at knowing what to say that I eventually forget to reply. Anyway, I loved writing this chapter! Can't wait to write some more!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Break up with your girlfriend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was late at night when Luke got home. He had dropped Spencer off at his apartment as the night fell upon them.</p><p>Lisa went up to Luke as soon as he opened his apartment door and screamed, "What the hell?"</p><p>"I forgot about our date." He lied, though she didn't see through it. "I'm sorry."</p><p>"We barely spend time together because of your work. Where were you?" She questioned.

</p>
<p>He sighed, already tired of her questions. "Come on, Lisa, you always do this."</p><p>"Where were you?" She repeated.</p><p>"I went for a walk in the woods with Roxy." Holding onto the full truth.</p><p>"I could've gone with you, you know?" She huffed.</p><p>"You don't even like Roxy." He murmured.

</p>
<p>"Yes, I do. She's the one who doesn't like me."</p><p>"Because you don't like her! You shoo her away every time she goes up to you." </p><p>She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't change the subject on me. Where were you?"</p><p>"I was with a friend."</p><p>She scoffed. "Spencer." She said it like it was no surprise to her. "Looks like he's more your boyfriend than I ever was your girlfriend."</p><p>"He's my friend that actually remembered my birthday yesterday."</p><p>"Luke, I'm sorry." She said, her facial expression and tone of voice completely changed. "I forgot babe, I-"</p><p>"No, you really-" Luke tried to calm down. He took a deep breath and said, "Lisa, this is over."

</p>
<p>"What? You can't do this to me."</p><p>"I can, and I did."</p><p>"Is this because I forgot about your birthday? Because you're in love with that nerd? What do you see in him anyway?" </p><p>"It's not about you forgetting my birthday. I don't even care about that. It's so much more than that, and Spencer is not a nerd! He's the most caring, loyal, selfless, smartest person I know who makes me smile every single day, even when we don't talk. With you, it's the complete opposite." He yelled. "Our relationship is not healthy, Lisa. You're never interested in what I have to say. You constantly make me feel bad for having this job and not spending enough time with you. I could go on!"</p><p>"Oh, so I'm the bad guy here?" </p><p>He ignored her question and repeated, "We need to break up."</p><p>She scoffed. "Fine by me," and with a slam of the door, she was gone.</p><p>Roxy, who was in her bed, kept her head perched on her paws and raised her ears.</p><p>Luke went over to her and scratched behind her ear, which he knew she liked. "It's ok, Roxy. It's over." He said, more to himself than to her.

</p>
<p>A few moments later, he heard a knock on the door.</p><p>"Look, I'm not in the mood to--" He began, but as he reached the door to open it, he was surprised to see his neighbor, Janie, in the doorway.</p><p>"Everything ok?" She asked. "Pretty thin walls."</p><p>Luke let out a breath, thinking it all over.</p><p>He let her into her apartment, and he said, "We broke up, and I feel oddly good about it. Like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders, so yeah, I think everything is ok."</p><p>"That's good. What's important is that you're happy."</p><p>As he got lost in thought, Janie asked, "What's on your mind?"</p><p>He looked up. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."</p><p>"I came for a reason, Luke."</p><p>He hesitated but finally budged. "I've been spending time with Spencer. He heard that Lisa forgot my birthday, so we went out for a walk in the woods with Roxy. We went to that bridge I told you about, watching the sky darken, and we almost kissed."</p><p>Janie raised her eyebrows at the last part. "Sounds romantic."</p><p>He smiled as he thought about the night they had shared. He wasn't ready for it to end, but the night willed it to. "Yeah." He replied.</p><p>"Well, I have to go. Those dogs chew on everything they see in my apartment." She joked. "By the way, did you like the present I gave you?"

</p>
<p>"Of course I did. I loved it! It's easily one of the best gifts I've gotten. You must've put so much time and effort into drawing this star wars poster." He said. "You sure you want to keep dog-sitting? Being an artist would suit you more." </p><p>"Nah, I'm good with dog-sitting. The owners pay me good. I've got eight of them paying me ten an hour every day."</p><p>"That reminds me: I should pay you."</p><p>"I've already told you, Luke. It's on the house. You're my neighbor and one of my closest friends. It's free for you." She told him. "Anyway, what did your loverboy give you?"</p><p>"He is not my loverboy, Janie."</p><p>She rolled her eyes and said, "Please tell me."</p><p>"Fine. A customized Star Wars mug with me as one of the Jedi's."</p><p>She gasped and said, "Show me."</p><p>Luke smiled at that and went to his cabinet to take it out for his neighbor to see it.</p><p>"Is that you?" She asked as she saw a cartoon-like Luke, to which he nodded. "This is so precious. Luke, you have got to ask him out."

</p>
<p>"Did you just come here to convince me to ask him out, Janie?"</p><p>"Of course not, I just wanted to gossip." She said, and they both laughed "Luke, he's just as whipped for you as you are for him."</p><p>"Didn't you say you had to go, or else all those dogs were going to tear your apartment apart?"</p><p>Her eyes widened as she remembered the dogs she was dog-sitting. "Just think about what I said, ok?"</p><p>"I will. Goodnight, Janie," He closed the door as she went out to go back next door to her apartment.</p><p>He decided to go to bed with Roxy by his side, and then he heard a ping from his phone.

</p>
<p>Spencer:<br/>
Had a great time tonight. Hope there will be others like this.</p><p>He couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face as he read the message. </p><p>Luke:<br/>
There definitely will be. Can't wait for that</p><p>He rolled over in his bed and exhaled, feeling a sense of peace overcome him. </p><p>Even if Spencer was only his friend, it was the least he could hope for and he was ok with that.</p><p>He shut his eyes and soon fell asleep with the events from the night replaying in his mind.</p><p>"Break up with your girlfriend yeah yeah 'cause I'm bored." -Break up with your Girlfriend by Ariana Grande.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Tyrus_ralvez updating on the same week? Who is she?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. No amount of words</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The team had gone to New York for a case they were working on. They were staying at a nearby hotel, a few miles from the police station. They had caught the unsub, Jacob Harding, a white male in his early twenties, who had kidnapped his sister and mother. He tortured them before he killed his mother. The team got there before he could do any further harm to his sister.</p><p>Spencer went to Luke's hotel room. Prentiss had put Luke and Rossi together, and Tara and Spencer together. Prentiss and JJ had been rooming together almost every case. He had a hunch why. Every once in a while, he'd see them together, too close for them to be just friends. Then again, they might have just been pining for each other.</p><p>He couldn't help but notice how close they were as they shared lingering gazes and secret touches.</p><p>"I got some CLIF bars from the vending machine," Spencer said, as he entered the room, handing Luke one of the bars.</p><p>"Carmel Macchiato? Good source of caffeine. I haven't had my daily dose of coffee yet, so thank you." Luke smiled.</p><p>Spencer couldn't help but smile back at him. He nodded a silent 'you're welcome,' and said, "You know, every coffee CLIF bar contains 65 milligrams of caffeine, which is the equivalent of one shot of espresso. And according to a new report from the European Food Safety Authority, having more than five espresso shots a day could lead to health issues like heart problems, insomnia, and panic attacks."</p><p>"That's interesting." He stared, fascinated by his ramblings.</p><p>Spencer started fumbling with his fingers. "I actually came here to tell you that I started going to therapy. I went yesterday for my first appointment."</p><p>"That's good. I'm really proud of you. It's going to be a big help. I know it was for me."</p><p>"Thank you, Luke." He told him, and after a while, he asked, "How are things with Lisa?"</p><p>"I broke up with her last week," Luke said.</p><p>"Oh. I'm sorry." Spencer said as that was the only thing he could think about saying.</p><p>Luke chuckled. "Don't be. It was my decision. Hate to say it, but our relationship was toxic. I'm glad I got out of it."</p><p>"In that case, I'm glad too." He told Luke. "How'd she take it?"</p><p>"Not good, as expected." He changed the conversation, saying, "What about you? You have a significant other?"</p><p>Spencer shook his head and said, "No."</p><p>"Really?" He asked in shock. "No Professors? No one?"</p><p>Spencer snorted as if Luke had just told a joke. "I doubt anybody from the school would like me like that. Why would they?"</p><p>"I can think of a few reasons. I mean, you're a genius, and you're brave." He hesitated before saying the next part, slowly moving towards him. "You're handsome, charming, the most loyal and selfless person. But, no amount of words could do you any justice."</p><p>Their faces were less than an inch apart now, and Spencer could swear he saw Luke look down to his lips.</p><p>Spencer felt a rush of confidence wash over him and asked, "Can I kiss you?"</p><p>Luke only nodded, stunned by the question, and then answered with a breathless 'yes.'</p><p>The younger man moved toward him to press their lips together.</p><p>Luke slid his hand into Spencer's hair, which was so soft, and Spencer was cupping Luke's cheeks.</p><p>With all the anticipation and emotion pouring into the kiss, Luke held him closer, putting a hand to his back, while Spencer moved his arms to Luke's neck.</p><p>They only pulled away when they heard a knock on the door.</p><p>Spencer fixed his hair and suit, trying to steady his breath before opening the door.</p><p>It was Rossi. </p><p>"Since this is going to be our last night here, we're playing poker in Prentiss's room." He said.</p><p>Spencer cleared his throat before speaking. "Uh, yeah. We'll be there ."</p><p>"You ok, kid?" He eyed him suspiciously.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, no yeah, I-I'm fine." He stuttered while nodding.</p><p>"What about you?" He turned to Luke.</p><p>Luke only nodded, his face flushed from the makeout session they'd just had.</p><p>"Ok," Rossi said, clearly not convinced. "Don't be too long, though. The game's about to start, and we are waiting to kick your ass, genius."</p><p>Spencer didn't reply, his mind still unable to comprehend what had just happened.</p><p>As soon as Spencer closed the door, he turned to Luke, but before he could say anything, Luke cut him off with another kiss.</p><p>The familiar sensation on his lips from just a few moments ago made him exhale in comfort.</p><p>He was kissing the man that he'd been pining over for the last year, and Luke was kissing back. It felt good. Better than good. He couldn't think of any other words, his brain turning to mush. He could only think about Luke kissing him, and he was ok with that.</p><p>They had to pull away at some point to get some air into their lungs, and when they did, they put their foreheads together, breathing heavily. Spencer had his eyes closed, soaking in the glory of the moment.</p><p>"You're so gorgeous," Luke whispered, which made Spencer's eyes flutter open.</p><p>He blushed and said, "You are too."</p><p>Luke's smile widened as he pulled away to kiss his nose and then his lips.</p><p>"You know, I thought that by having a partner and by avoiding you, I would stop liking you, but I was so wrong. If anything, it made my feeling for you stronger." He said. "All those nights without you made me crazy. I wanted to hold you, hear your voice, fall asleep with you."</p><p>"You have that now." His voice was hoarse from kissing him so much.</p><p>Luke smiled. "Think you can switch rooms?"</p><p>"I think I can manage that. Tara loves me."</p><p>"Thank God for that." He said. "Let's go. We don't want to be late for poker."</p><p>With one last peck on the lips, they walked out of the room to play poker with the team.</p><p>When your words don't do justice to the amount of feelings you're holding, all you need is a heart that knows, and how to read between the lines." -Juhi.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have a Ralvez playlist on Spotify. Here's the link if anybody wants to hear it: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6lPAPKFv4iV8TkwdrRSSaK?si=58dfb336a6de4a2f https://open.spotify.com/playlist/60dMauHKJdaxtQZWi9nJq8?si=b455af853286459c</p><p>I wrote most of this yesterday. Finally had my creatives juices flowing! And it's all thanks to my sister's boyfriend coming to our house and me being locked away in my room, typing this chapter up for like 5 hours! I'm much of an awkward introvert, so that's why I stay in my room.</p><p>On another note, it's been a year since yesterday since I came out to my mom as Bi! Can't believe I came out on Valentine's Day! Anyhow, happy late Valentine's Day to all you lovely people!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. The Bet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Spencer couldn't keep the smile off his face as he looked up from his work and saw Luke walking in from the elevator.</p><p>"Spencer." Luke greeted with a similar smile.</p><p>"Luke." He replied, his smile growing more and more if possible as Luke sat at his desk.</p><p>The night before was spent sleeping in each other's arms and talking each other to sleep, and Spencer was beyond happy that he had the guts to ask if he could kiss him. If Luke hadn't said those things to him, he wouldn't have had the confidence to do so.</p><p>He went back to looking at his work, but as he felt Tara's eyes on him, he looked up at her.</p><p>She quirked an eyebrow up and glanced at Luke, then back at Spencer.</p><p>He gave her a nod, and she smiled, mouthing, "Nice."</p><p>Suddenly his phone buzzed with a notification, and as he took it out of his pocket, he saw it was Luke with the message, "Can't wait for our date."</p><p>Before he could text back, he heard Penelope's voice right behind him. "Wonderboy's going on a date? With who?"</p><p>He spun around in his seat, turning off his phone in the process, so she wouldn't see who had texted him. They hadn't talked about whether they wanted the team to know, so he stayed silent with his mouth hanging agape, thinking of what to say.</p><p>To his relief, Luke came in to save him. "Hey, Garcia, didn't you say that you had a new kitten? What was her name again?"</p><p>She immediately perked up at that."Oh, my ginger baby bundle of joy. Her name is pumpkin. Let me show you a picture." She couldn't find her phone as she searched her jacket pocket. "Darn, it, I left my phone in my cave. Let me go get it." She walked over to her office, muttering to herself about how she'd forgotten her phone and how she'd never done it before.</p><p>Spencer sighed in relief. "Thank you. I didn't know if you wanted the team to know about us."</p><p>"I actually had in mind that we let them figure out on their own. Not that I'm not ok with the team knowing. I am, but it'd be fun to see this play out."</p><p>A smile spread across his face as he raised his eyebrows. "I like the way you think, Alvez," and the way he said 'Alvez' made Luke want to kiss him. He would've if he hadn't moved to pick up his mug from his desk. </p><p>"Do you want any coffee?" He asked him.</p><p>Luke hummed and said, "I could go for a macchiato."</p><p>Spencer grimaced. "They only serve brown sludge around here, sorry."</p><p>He shrugged. "Brown sludge isn't so bad if I get to drink it with you."</p><p>Spencer blushed, and he found that his face was hurting from smiling so much.</p><p>This was too good to be true, what one would call the honeymoon phase of their relationship, but he didn't mind it.</p><p>Luke smiled back at him. "I like when I make you smile." and if it weren't for the setting they were in, Spencer would've kissed him right then and there. He closed his eyes, fighting the urge to lean in and kiss him until both their lips were numb.</p><p>He bit his lip and opened his eyes, saying, "Let's get some coffee."</p><p>They went to the kitchen, and as Luke got his mug out of the cabinet, Tara appeared beside them.</p><p>"Alvez, you better treat him right." She said. </p><p>"Wow. Shovel talk already?" Luke joked.</p><p>Tara laughed. "Tell me, was it yesterday? I saw you two when we were playing poker, but I didn't know if it was your usual oblivious selves flirting or if it was something else."</p><p>"Something else," Luke said.</p><p>Tara smiled at them and nodded. "I am so happy for you guys. When did you break up with Lisa? How did she react? I want to know how it went down. I'm sorry, but she was the worst."</p><p>When she saw them raise their eyebrows in amusement, she said, "What? I like to gossip."</p><p>That was when Rossi went over to them. "Careful now. You know how Penelope gets when we say the g-word." He chuckled. "I'm really happy for you guys."</p><p>"You know about us?" Luke asked.</p><p>"Hate to break it to you, kid, but you're not exactly vague about it all, what with all the smiles and the glances. You're not fooling anyone."</p><p>"I thought we were hiding it pretty well," Luke said.</p><p>Rossi looked at him unconvinced. "Last night at your door. Last night at poker. Just a few minutes ago in the bullpen. And I saw your swollen lips yesterday. Don't think I didn't see it."</p><p>Spencer looked down in embarrassment, and Luke just laughed.</p><p>"Now, tell me, who made the first move?" Rossi asked, and as they raised their eyebrows at him, he said, "What? I like to gossip too."</p><p>Luke smiled and nudged Spencer with his elbow. "Spencer did. He asked if he could kiss me."</p><p>"True gentleman." Tara grinned and then looked at Rossi. "Pay up, old man."</p><p>"Well, actually Luke did," Spencer said, recalling the night before.</p><p>"I just told you all the reasons why someone would like you. I wasn't actually going to ask you out, though. I didn't think you liked me like that."</p><p>"Yeah, but you still made a move. I only asked to kiss you because I gained confidence by your words."</p><p>"Oh, just take this as your win. I would've chickened out if you hadn't asked if you could kiss me."</p><p>Tara turned to Rossi."Come on, pasta man. You know you want to. You've already got stacks at home. Help a girl out."</p><p>"Well, now I'm not going to. Pasta man?" He scoffed at the nickname.</p><p>"You guys were betting on us?" Spencer asked.</p><p>"Of course we did. I had faith you could do it, Spence." Tara told him and as she turned to Rossi, she said, "He didn't"</p><p>"Of course I had faith in you." He said to Reid. "I just had more faith in Luke. No offense, kid."</p><p>Spencer made his usual frog face and said, "None taken."</p><p>"Are you telling anybody else?" Rossi asked them.</p><p>"Technically, we didn't tell you guys. You just figured it out."</p><p>"True." Tara nodded. "So, you gonna let the others figure it out?"</p><p>Luke nodded. "That's the plan."</p><p>"Matt will be last to figure it out," Rossi said.</p><p>Tara agreed with him and then said, "Ooh, if Pen finds out, you will be the first to know. That girl cannot keep her secrets."</p><p>Luke chuckled. "I think Emily and JJ will be the next to figure it out. Or they already know. Who knows?"</p><p>"They definitely knew we liked each other. What's the saying? The gays always know." Spencer said.</p><p>"Wait, what?" Tara asked.</p><p>"They're in a relationship, didn't you guys know?"</p><p>"I did," Rossi said. "I'm a good detective."</p><p>"I must've been so focused on you guys that I wasn't paying any attention to them."</p><p>"They're keeping it a secret, so don't tell them we told you," Luke said. "They don't even know we know."</p><p>"I bet my money on Matt figuring it out last," Tara said.</p><p>"Oh, we're betting?" He asked.</p><p>"Oh, of course, we are," Tara said as if that was obvious.</p><p>Luke chuckled and said, "Ok, game on then."</p><p>Suddenly Matt came out of nowhere, stepping into the conversation.</p><p>"What are you guys betting on?" He asked, but before Luke could say anything, Tara spoke up, lying easily, "We're betting on which of us can finish our work faster. The winner gets a dollar from each of us."</p><p>"Sounds good. I'm in." Matt said, and as he walked towards his desk to get some work done, Luke turned to Tara. "That was a lame fake bet."</p><p>"It's not like I had that excuse ready to use."</p><p>"You just want to win this bet, don't you?" Luke asked.</p><p>Tara smirked. "Of course I do. Ten dollars on Emily and JJ figuring it out next, Penelope spilling the beans when she figures it out, and Matt figuring it out last. Ten dollars each, and if I get one wrong, you still have to pay me ten dollars for each guess I got right."</p><p>"Matt has been my best friend for years, and if anybody knows him, it's me," Luke replied. "You'll be paying me ten dollars when he figures it out next."</p><p>"Maybe you don't know him well enough. See, you're thinking as his friend, not as a profiler." She said. "Think about that," and with that, she walked off to her desk to get some work done.</p><p>"I knew you were special from the moment we met. How I'm looking forward to all of our tomorrows."<br/>-Robin Raven</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Haha, my updates are getting further and further apart from each chapter. Sorry about that, but it's finally here! The next chapter will be their date and I'm so excited to write it! Can't wait for it!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was nearing the end of the day, and Luke couldn't find Spencer anywhere. He tried calling him, but it went straight to voice mail.</p><p>It was 10 minutes later when Luke and Matt were discussing some files in the conference room that Spencer arrived from Starbucks with two coffees in hand.</p><p>"I got you a Macchiato like you said you wanted," Spencer said, handing him the large cup of caffeine.</p><p>"You are the best," Luke said, and as he was about to lean in for a peck on the lips, he realized where they were and who he was with and stopped himself.</p><p>Spencer noticed and fought back a smile while Matt stared between the two in confusion.</p><p>He began talking about the case and what he discovered while he was buying coffee before Matt had a chance to say anything.</p><p>With that piece of newfound information, they figured out where the unsub was, and the team went to get him, a white male in his early 20's who had drowned his mother, sister, and girlfriend in a lake. Thanks to Garcia, they tracked him down, and he was being interrogated by Prentiss and Rossi.</p><p> </p><p>After finishing up all of his paperwork, Luke walked over to Spencer, sitting on the edge of the desk. "Emily figured out I was seeing somebody."</p><p>Spencer looked at him and sat back in his seat. "How?"</p><p>Luke sighed. "She profiled me."</p><p>He huffed a laugh. "Can't get anything past a profiler."</p><p>Luke chuckled. "Except for us."</p><p>"Except for us," Spencer repeated.</p><p>The older man smiled and asked, "You ready?"</p><p>"Ready as I'll ever be." He got up and slung his messenger bag across his arm.</p><p>He was more than ready. He'd been buzzing with such excitement that he barely had the head to do his work at his usual pace but still finished before the rest of the team, so Matt wouldn't be surprised but still disappointed since he tried his best to win the fake bet.</p><p> </p><p>Spencer's faint tapping was the only sound in the car as Luke started driving. It was mostly due to his embarrassingly obvious anticipation. It was also due to the fact that he was a bit nervous, because who wouldn't be on their first date? He didn't want to mess this up. He hoped he wouldn't.</p><p>"Where are we going?" He asked, gazing outside.</p><p>Luke hummed. "Not telling you,"</p><p>As Luke continued driving, Spencer recognized the path they were taking. "The trail." He simply said.</p><p>Luke tried to hide his smile but failed.</p><p>Spencer laid back in his seat, smiling, while Luke looked at him. "What's on your mind?"</p><p>"This is really happening." He said.</p><p>Luke smiled and looked back at the road. "It is."</p><p>"I just . . . can't believe it."</p><p>Luke smiled. "I can't believe it either. It's just hard to believe that this is really finally happening. I never thought you'd ever like me like that."</p><p>"Are you kidding? You're like . . . perfect." He said.</p><p>Luke's heart soared at Spence's words. "I'd say the same about you. You're everybody's dream guy."</p><p>He scoffed, "I hardly think that."</p><p>Luke's eyebrows shot up, ready to argue. "Do you even remember what I said to you last night?"</p><p>"How could I forget?" He said. "I do have an eidetic memory."</p><p>"I meant everything I said, Spencer." He turned to look at him. "No amount of words can do you any justice."</p><p>A smile spread across his face, and he laid back in his seat again, feeling at ease as Luke's words repeated again and again in his mind.</p><p>A few moments of silence passed, and they finally reached their destination.</p><p>"We're here," Luke said, parking at the side of the road, the same spot as last time.</p><p>They got out of the car and walked for a bit, taking in the beauty of nature.</p><p>"This looks like a really nice night," Spencer said, and it was. The weather was perfect, neither too hot nor too cold, just the right temperature. And the trees added to the beauty of the night sky, the stars twinkling as they walked through the woods.</p><p>"It does," Luke said.</p><p>"Did you know that stars don't actually twinkle? As the light from the star moves through the atmosphere, particularly when the star is close to the horizon, it has to pass through several layers of sometimes rapidly varying density. This has the effect of deflecting light slightly as if it were a ball in a pinball machine. Eventually, light enters the pupils, but any deflection produces a slight difference in hue and intensity."</p><p>Luke smiled at him. He would never get tired of Spencer's info dumps, even if sometimes he had no idea what he was talking about. He was practically the human version of Google, and it was one of the most endearing things about him.</p><p>"I did not know that. That's really interesting. Do you have any more star-related facts?" He asked, prompting him to ramble more about the subject so that he could hear more of his voice.</p><p>Spencer's eyes sparkled with excitement, surprised Luke wanted to hear him ramble. He thought for a bit and then continued, "Every star you see in the night sky is bigger and brighter than the sun." He rambled about the fact longer than the team would ever let him, and it felt good, almost freeing to be able to ramble so liberally about anything and everything with the older man.</p><p>Luke reached out to hold his hand, and Spencer looked at him with a smile on his face. His hand was warm, and as he glanced down, he found that Spencer still had the black nail polish that Tara had painted on his nails just a week prior, though the paint had chipped, almost fully gone.</p><p>They reached a field of grass, and they settled down, sitting next to each other.</p><p>Luke turned to face Spencer, his gaze soft and endearing, and it was met by the most angelic, familiar hazel eyes Luke had ever seen. He had always been fascinated by his eyes, but something seemed different now that Spencer was his boyfriend.</p><p>Perhaps it had something to do with the way the moonlight in the dead of night accentuated his eyes, or maybe he was simply drunk on the deep adoration he felt towards him, but everything felt different with him, a good kind of different, and he was welcoming it with open arms.</p><p>But, adoration wasn't the right term for it. It was far more than that. It felt as if his heart was going to explode from everything that he was feeling. Like he was stuck in a dream, and if given the chance, he would happily never wake up from it. It was ice cream on a sunny evening, champagne on a Friday night, a 5 AM Sunday morning run, only a billion times better.</p><p>He was on top of the world, and Spencer was there to experience it with him. He was bursting with joy at that, and he wouldn't have it any other way.</p><p>He gently put his hand on Spencer's cheek as he noticed him glance down at his lips. "Can I kiss you?" he softly asked.</p><p>Before Luke's words even left his mouth, Spencer was already leaning in.</p><p>It was a slow and gentle kiss, lasting almost a lifetime, everything fading away, leaving them in their own little world. Luke tilted his head, adjusting to a better angle, in the process brushing the side of Spencer's face with his nose and breathing in the familiar scent of vanilla and cinnamon. It was such a magical thing, being able to experience such an intimate moment with the man he could now call his boyfriend, which was a privilege in and of itself.</p><p>Neither of them wanted to stop as they involuntarily moved away to get some air, both in a kiss-induced daze, smiling like idiots as they pressed their foreheads together.</p><p>"You're gorgeous," Luke whispered before he pecked his lips once more.</p><p>Spencer smiled even wider if possible. They laid back down on the grass, Spencer settling back into Luke's arms, with his head against his chest and Luke's arm around him.</p><p>Luke sighed. "This is nice."</p><p>The younger man closed his eyes. "It is."</p><p>Luke played with Spencer's hair, and for a moment, they laid there in comfortable silence, enjoying every bit of time they had with each other.</p><p>"What was your first impression of me?" Luke asked all of a sudden, breaking the silence.</p><p>Spencer was surprised by the sudden question and opened his eyes, sitting up to look at him. "Well, when I saw your file, I thought you were a remarkable guy. Pretty attractive too." He confessed, to which Luke smiled. "And then we met for the first time in the briefing room, and I knew I was in for a hell of a ride."</p><p>"So, what I'm hearing is, you thought I was hot?" He asked, and when he saw Spencer trying to hide his smile, he gasped, smiling, "You totally did."</p><p>Spencer laughed, shifting the conversation onto Luke. "What about you? What was your first impression of me?"</p><p>"My first impression of you? Mmh, that you were a hot genius." Luke could see Spencer's rising blush. "I wasn't wrong."</p><p>Luke laughed when he saw just how much of a flustered mess he had made of Spencer with his words. "No, but it was more than that. You were so kind to me even though I'd replaced Morgan. I heard you guys were pretty close."</p><p>"Yeah, he was like a brother to me. He still is, even if he's not at the BAU anymore." He said. "You know, the funny thing is I thought I was going to hate you because of it, but it was quite the opposite. I just couldn't stay mad at you."</p><p>"Not with this face." Luke pointed at his face, and Spencer chuckled, agreeing with him, "Yeah, definitely not with that face."</p><p>Luke smiled, and as he saw a shooting star pass by, he nudged Spencer's elbow and pointed at the sky. "What'd you wish for last time?"</p><p>Spencer perched his elbow on the grass and turned to face him. "You really wanna know?"</p><p>Luke nodded, interested in what his wish was.</p><p>Spencer's smile faded away, his face serious, as he looked right into Luke's eyes. "It's right here in front of me."</p><p>Luke was stunned, not expecting him to say that, and the next thing he knew, he was pulling him in for another kiss, this one as soft as the last.</p><p>He entangled their hands together as they separated, looking at the stars, feeling the light breeze of air in their faces. "The sky looks beautiful," Spencer said.</p><p>Luke turned to him. "Not as beautiful as my boyfriend."</p><p>Spencer's heart fluttered at the word boyfriend. Huh. Luke Alvez was his boyfriend. Luke Alvez was his boyfriend, and it wasn't a figment of Spencer's imagination or some cruel dream. This was real, and for the hundredth time since they had kissed the night before, he couldn't believe it.</p><p>Spencer lunged forward, taking Luke by surprise, capturing his lips once more in a short but passionate kiss.</p><p>When he pulled back and saw Luke's stunned expression, he said, "I just wanted to know if everything that's happened is actually real and not a dream."</p><p>Luke's face fell into an expression mixed with sadness and affection. "Well, it is 100% real, and I'm glad it is."</p><p>Spencer smiled, and Luke leaned in for another kiss, this one longer than the rest. He slipped his hand into Spencer's hair, and Spencer adjusted himself so that he was on top of him.</p><p>That's when they heard a voice come from afar. Spencer toppled over on the grass, stunned by the voice. It was an old man, and as he got closer, they realized he was an officer. He looked like he was in his late 50's, and the bit of hair he had left was white.</p><p>"Sorry to interrupt your night, fellas, but you can't be here all alone at night. It's dangerous." He said. "I've seen some wild porcupines, and let me tell you, those quills hurt like hell. There's talk about some wolves too. Bears, even and they only come out at night."</p><p>Luke stood up, helping Spencer up in the process. "Thank you, officer we'll be going now."</p><p>The officer smiled at them. "All right, have a nice night."</p><p>"You too," Luke replied as they headed out the same direction they went in.</p><p>As Luke drove Spencer home, he apologized. "I'm sorry."</p><p>"For what?" He asked, a confused expression on his face. "This was the best date I've ever had."</p><p>Luke glanced over at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Really?"</p><p>"Believe it or not, I haven't been on many dates. The ones I have been on were not the best."</p><p>"Who was your first relationship?" Luke asked out of nowhere.</p><p>"Ethan." He said. "We met in High School. We were the young geniuses at CalTech, and then we went to the academy, but he decided to bail his first day there to become a Jazz player in New Orleans. We got together while in CalTech and broke up before the academy. We decided it was better to stay as friends since we had this competitive thing going on. It just got in the way of our relationship."</p><p>Luke grimaced. "Oh, man. My story is way too boring."</p><p>Spencer smiled, intrigued by what his story was going to be. "Come on, I told you. The least you could do is tell me about yours."</p><p>Luke rolled his eyes, finally budging. "Ok, my first relationship was with this girl named Natalie. We were in Freshman year of High School, and we didn't even last a week. We just realized we didn't like each other that much, so we ended it."</p><p>Spencer nodded, taking it all in. "You were right, it was boring," he said, both chuckling.</p><p>"Back then, I knew I liked guys, but I wanted to ignore that part of me since it was frowned upon in Catholic School. It wasn't until I was 27, and in the army, that I started to accept that I was bisexual. It's also around the same time I started dating Phil."</p><p>"I'm sorry you had to deal with all that."</p><p>"It's fine. That was years ago."</p><p>"And it's now a new year for you. Your 43rd year on the planet."</p><p>Luke grimaced. "Way to make me feel old."</p><p>Spencer chuckled. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm going to be 40 this year, so I'm not too far behind."</p><p>"Thanks for at least trying." He smiled.</p><p> </p><p>They walked up to Spencer's building after Luke had parked, and when they got to his door, Spencer turned around to face him. "I had a great time tonight."</p><p>"I did too." Luke smiled. "You're planning our next date, though."</p><p>Spencer grinned, nodding along as Luke's words echoed in his head, eager for the day to come.</p><p>Luke glanced at his mouth before returning his gaze to those Hazel eyes. "May I?"</p><p>Spencer's mouth went dry as the words caught in his throat, anticipating Luke's lips, and all he could do was nod.</p><p>It was a gentle kiss, short and sweet, and Spencer couldn't help but smile.</p><p>Luke pulled away with a big goofy grin on his face and gave him another quick peck to the lips. "Goodnight, Spencer."</p><p>"Goodnight." He said, and he watched as his boyfriend left, walking down the stairs. He found his mouth was hurting from all the smiling while simultaneously aching to be kissed again.</p><p> </p><p>As he went to bed, he heard his phone buzzing on the nightstand next to him.</p><p>It was Luke.</p><p>"Hey, boyfriend." He heard him say.</p><p>A blush tinted Spencer's cheeks, and he smiled at the nickname. "Hey, boyfriend."</p><p>"I hope I didn't wake you. I was gonna go to sleep, but it didn't work out so well."</p><p>"No, you didn't. I was just about to get into bed, actually." He said. "Thank you for tonight. I had a great time."</p><p>"I did too. I'm hoping we can have more nights like that." He said. "Like this."</p><p>"We will. I'm looking forward to that."</p><p>"I am too."</p><p>He sighed and whispered, "I've missed this," barely audible enough to hear him.</p><p>Spencer could hear a smile in Luke's voice. "Me too, but you know what I've missed more?"</p><p>"Hmm?"</p><p>"Laying next to you while I hold you and talk you to sleep. Hearing your soothing voice, talking random facts."</p><p>Spencer closed his eyes, imagining Luke next to him, seeing his chest rise and fall with every breath he took. Seeing his beautiful face and curly black hair in the middle of the night with the moonlight shining over his smooth skin, the scene so ravishing to look at.</p><p>"I miss that," The young doctor said.</p><p>"We'll have next case for that." Luke said, "But right now, we have to go to sleep. It's nearly 1 AM, and we have to work tomorrow."</p><p>"You're right. Shall I start out talking?" Spencer asked.</p><p>Luke hummed in agreement, his eyes already closed. "Yes, please."</p><p>He started off dictating a book Luke had never heard of, his voice a comforting lullaby, soft and soothing, giving him tingles throughout his body. Spencer started tapping, which made him tingle even more, that it made him not want to move anymore so that he could feel the tingles throughout his body. </p><p>Then he talked about ASMR, what it was, how it helped people fall asleep and even relieve their stress for a bit. </p><p>Soon, midnight fell upon them, Luke holding onto Spencer's voice as he fell into a deep sleep until morning came.</p><p>"A perfect date is probably something somewhere where you can communicate and talk in person. . . I think taking a walk or just having one on one time with that person is the best."<br/> -Selena Gomez</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Finally! Their first date! I've been writing this chapter for so long. I took a bit of a break and have been writing nonstop since Sunday. Also, it's a 3,000-word chapter, my longest chapter yet, which I'm really proud of. I'm also proud of how this chapter turned out, and I can not believe that I've been writing this story for 4 months now! <br/>Anyway, Spencer is doing ASMR at the end. If you have trouble going to sleep, listen to it on YouTube. It's so helpful, plus it gives you tingles, a sensation your body feels, like that feeling you get when somebody plays with your hair. I've been listening to ASMR for almost 2 years now since my sister got me into it, and it's so calming.<br/>It's almost 2AM and I have a zoom class in 5 hours and I just wanted to finish this chapter and upload it and I finally did, so goodnight!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Lazy Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was his third session in that boring beige-colored office, which by the looks of it might as well have been his grandmother's room, but who was he to judge? He was practically a grandpa himself, as everyone liked to put it.</p><p>He was eying the clock. Less than five minutes left, and he was done with therapy for the week.</p><p>"You must really want out, huh?" Dr. Taylor said, looking down at his bouncing foot.</p><p>"Sorry. I'm just excited to see my boyfriend." He said.</p><p>It wasn't a total lie. Spencer did want to see Luke, but for the most part, he didn't want to deal with her going into his head. He didn't exactly enjoy being dissected by a complete stranger, even though that's what he did to other people for a living.</p><p>"Is this the Luke you've been talking about?" She asked, flipping back to her notes from previous sessions.</p><p>"Yes, from work." He only made an occasional reference to his feelings for him the previous session. "I actually made the first move."</p><p>"That's great. I'm happy to hear you came out of your comfort zone." She smiled. "I know it isn't always easy, but sometimes it pays off. I'm glad to see he's reciprocated feelings."</p><p>Spencer smiled. "Me too."</p><p>The timer on Dr. Taylor's phone went off, marking the end of the session.</p><p>"Please call me if you need anything. I know we're scheduled for once a week, but if you need to come in sooner to talk, I'm here. Just give me a call to set up an appointment."</p><p>He stood up and said, "Thank you, Dr. Taylor."</p><p>As soon as he stepped out of the building, he was met by those miraculous eyes from afar, and he felt himself smile again.</p><p>"You don't have to wait out here the whole time, you know?" He called out.</p><p>"What kind of boyfriend would I be then?" Luke asked before leaning in to plant a kiss on Spencer's lips. "I was reading the book you recommended. It's actually pretty good."'</p><p>"Told you you'd like it."</p><p>They went into his car, and Luke started driving.</p><p>"My apartment or yours?" He asked.</p><p>"Yours," Spencer said. "I want to see Roxy."</p><p>"I'm convinced that's the only reason you want to be my boyfriend." Luke quipped.</p><p>Spencer chuckled. "Maybe it is."</p><p>Luke shook his head with a smile on his face. "I bought some Chamomile Tea to help you sleep."</p><p>"Have I told you you're the best?" Spencer said.</p><p>"I don't think so, but I like hearing it." Luke chuckled.</p><p> </p><p>As they got to Luke's apartment, they were greeted by an excited Roxy, who was wagging her tail in a circle.</p><p>"Sit. Paw. Roll over" Roxy obeyed every one of her owner's commands which earned her a "good girl" and a belly rub from Luke.</p><p>"Hey, Roxy," Spencer said, scratching behind her ear.</p><p>"You spoil her too much," Luke teased. "Undo all my hard work."</p><p>"Sometimes she needs to be spoiled," Spencer said and then turned to Roxy. "Isn't that right, Roxy?"</p><p>In response, she sat up and licked his face.</p><p>Luke started laughing. "That's what you get."</p><p>"Don't laugh," Spencer said, trying to get her to stop licking him. "You know what they say. Karma's a bitch."</p><p>Luke gaped and started laughing again. "I don't think I've ever heard you swear before."</p><p>"Well, you are a bad influence on me." Spencer teased.</p><p>Luke snorted. "No doubt about it."</p><p>"Is it ok if we watch Star Wars?" Spencer asked, reaching for the remote on the coffee table.</p><p>"I'm game," Luke said, and a few minutes later, he came back to the couch and gave him a bowl of ramen.</p><p>He took a seat beside Spencer, placing his arm around his shoulder, and Spencer laid his head on Luke's shoulder.</p><p>Spencer sighed, "This is nice."</p><p>"Yeah," Luke said. "Spending a lazy night with my boyfriend, eating ramen, and watching Star Wars is the best."</p><p>"It is," Spencer said, nuzzling gently on his shoulder.</p><p>Suddenly he felt drowsiness overcome him, and the next thing he knew, he was being carried to Luke's room.</p><p>As Luke laid him down on the bed, Spencer looked up at him. "You fell asleep for an hour. Thought you'd be more comfortable here."</p><p>"Thanks," Spencer said. "You really are the best boyfriend."</p><p>Luke smiled at him, the warm, familiar smile that still managed to fill his stomach with butterflies.</p><p>"I could keep you company if you want," Luke said.</p><p>"I'd really like that," Spencer whispered, scooting over to let him in.</p><p>As soon as he got into bed, Luke kissed him, a gentle peck that clouded Spencer's mind and made his stomach do somersaults.</p><p>"Thank you for everything, Luke," Spencer whispered as they pulled apart, their foreheads pressed together and their breathing warm against each other. "I don't know how I got so lucky to have you in my life."</p><p>"Just by being you, of course," Luke said, and Spencer scoffed.</p><p>"It's the truth. You're one of a kind, Spencer Reid."</p><p>He smiled and nuzzled into his chest, Luke rubbing circles in the small of his back until they fell asleep.</p><p>"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs."<br/>
-William Shakespeare</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I started writing this chapter today and I am so happy I am finally finished with it! Sorry, it's so short.<br/>Spencer went to therapy! Yay! Seriously, he really needs it. And I hope I wrote an accurate representation of therapy. I researched it a whole lot since I've never gone.<br/>Anyways, I hope you guys like it! It's been half a year since I joined the Ralvez fandom and started writing Ralvez fanfiction and I remember there were 180 fanfics at the time. It's been so incredible seeing how much this fandom has grown and how many more fanfics there are. I just love this fandom so much.<br/>Also, I've just started a new YouTube Channel and the channel name is Tyrus_reddie. I will be posting art journaling videos and maybe some other videos over fanfiction and fandoms. If you're interested, here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCagx4mCfeG_NoCgN6M6R0Vg</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Grandpa Sweater</h2></a>
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    <p>It was Spencer's first day back teaching. The BAU had conditioned he did seminars every 100 days he was out in the field, so Luke was all alone at work.</p><p>He couldn't decide which was worse. Spencer not being there or him being there and potentially getting hurt on the job. While he loved getting to see his boyfriend every single day on the job, he still couldn't help but fear the unknown while he was out in the field, hunting for serial killers and staring death in the face.</p><p>Tara walked in through the elevator, putting down her things on her desk,  and then headed to Luke's desk after making some coffee.</p><p>"How are you holding up?" She asked him, handing him a cup.</p><p>He spun around in his chair and smiled as he grabbed a cup of delicious hot coffee. "Thank you. I'm good."</p><p>Tara smirked. "That grandpa sweater begs to differ. Where'd you get it? Spencer's closet?"</p><p>He opened his mouth, ready to argue when he realized that was exactly where he found it. "Yes, and it's actually pretty warm."</p><p>"Mmh. I bet it smells just like him too." Tara teased., taking a sip of her coffee.</p><p>Luke laughed. It actually did smell like him, but he didn't dare confess it. "Don't you have anything better to do than to taunt me?"</p><p>"Yes, but this is way more fun."</p><p>"Well, we're about to get a case. Solving it's gotta be more exciting than this."</p><p>She hummed. "Still a hard no. I like poking fun at you, Alvez."</p><p>At that moment, Garcia appeared with some files in her arms. "We have another case. Conference room ASAP."</p><p>"Oh, look." He said as Garcia walked away. "You can't tease me anymore."</p><p>"Spoiler alert: yes, I can."</p><p>Luke laughed, shaking his head. "You are a force to be reckoned with."</p><p>Tara smiled. "Don't doubt it."</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, Spencer was in his classroom just as class was about to begin. He recognized a few faces he'd seen a few months earlier.</p><p>"Hello, I am Dr. Spencer Reid, and I will be your teacher. We have five minutes until class starts, so you can just sit there and wait until everyone comes in."</p><p>"How's your day going?" One of his students asked.</p><p>The suddenness of the conversation, especially by one of his students, surprised him. "It's going fine. Had a lot of caffeine this morning. How's all yours?"</p><p>He heard a few mumbles here and there, but nothing he heard clearly.</p><p>He'd actually had coffee with Luke in the morning just before driving him down to his seminar. </p><p>The same guy spoke up. "Tell us about yourself. No girlfriend or anything like that?"</p><p>He cleared his throat. "That's pretty personal. Don't you think?"</p><p>"Like you said, there are five more minutes left, and I broke my phone, so I'm bored."</p><p>"There are actually three minutes and thirty-six seconds left, but I will answer your question." He said. "I have a boyfriend."</p><p>"Cool, what's his name?"</p><p>"Luke. We work together. We started seeing each other almost a month ago."</p><p>"Do you have anything for your monthiversary?" A girl said. "Sorry if that's too personal. I just need ideas for mine with my girlfriend."</p><p>"No, it's ok. I've been thinking about it, and I think I'm going to plan a candlelit dinner. And if that's not your scene, you can go for a picnic. We once went on a picnic date, and he brought his dog, Roxy."</p><p>"What kind of dog?" One girl asked.</p><p>"A Belgian Shepherd. She's the best. I used to be horrible with dogs; they didn't like me. My old boss called it the Reid Effect, but Roxy seems to be an exception." He said as he looked down at his watch. "It's exactly 9. All right, let's begin."</p><p> </p><p>As night fell upon them, Spencer was already in bed, about to fall asleep when his cellphone rang in his nightstand. Startled, he took a few seconds to figure out what the sound was and quickly picked up the phone.</p><p>"Hey, I hope I didn't wake you," Luke said.</p><p>"No." He lied. "You didn't. How was your day?"</p><p>"Pretty rough," Luke said. "Even more since I'm not with you."</p><p>Spencer sighed, leaning back into his bed so that he was staring at the ceiling. "Only thirty more days to go."</p><p>Luke chuckled. "Only?"</p><p>"I know it's a lot, but we can see each other every day you're not on a case. At least we have that to look forward to."</p><p>"Yeah, it's just we just got together, and I don't know how long this case is going to be. We've barely cracked the surface, and you know how long these types of cases can be."</p><p>He knew very well. They could take up to a month, and some of them couldn't be solved at all, which always hit them hard.</p><p>"Well, maybe I can help. What do you have?" Reid asked.</p><p>Luke told him all about the case, and Spencer couldn't figure out anything either.</p><p>"I'm sorry," Spencer said, and suddenly he started feeling chilly "Have you seen my gray sweater? The one with the brown undertones?"</p><p>He always wore it to sleep. It was his favorite one, not too light and not too thick. Just the right amount of warmth.</p><p>"Don't be mad, but I have it," Luke said. "Before you say anything, it's my favorite sweater. It's so warm and cozy. Plus, it smells like you. Makes me feel like you're right beside me."</p><p>Spencer sighed, his heart soaring at Luke's words. "How could I be mad at that? I miss you."</p><p>"I miss you too."</p><p>"I can't wait for our next date."</p><p>Luke smiled, the warm feeling in his stomach spreading to his cheeks. "But you're planning it."</p><p>"Way ahead of you." Spencer smiled. "It's going to be the best date you've ever had."</p><p>"I know it will."</p><p>"How?"</p><p>"Just being with you is the best I could ever ask for."</p><p>Spencer felt like he was on cloud nine. He had to close his eyes from the way he was feeling. God, this man, this kind, gorgeous, man would be the death of him.</p><p>"I can't wait," Spencer whispered.</p><p>"Me neither," Luke responded.</p><p>"I started reading a book of poems, and I'm almost finished. Can I read it to you?"</p><p>Luke smiled. "Of course."</p><p>He had missed their nightly ritual of talking themselves to sleep. It was the one thing Luke looked forward to when he was out on a case. But he wanted more. He wanted to lay there next to him, petting his hair and Spencer talking in his soothing voice so they'd both fall asleep and waking up with him in his arms, fitting so perfectly like it was meant to be.</p><p>For now, Spencer's grandpa sweater and his voice would have to suffice.</p><p>"Once you get a taste of sleeping next to someone, sleeping alone in your own bed really sucks." <br/>-Unknown.</p>
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